For the Sake of Love
by S.RAYN
Summary: Two souls, both cursed, one afraid to face eternity alone and the other unwilling to try. Maybe together they'll find a reason to live. Demon yuu/vampire mika
1. Beginnings

Part 1: Beginnings

* * *

 _No no no! This can't be happening, it can't be true! A demon, how? It's not possible! Immortal...alone...forever. Not even death for to look forward to. It's too unfair...the worst kind of living. Everyone leaving me over and over again, I'd rather die._

He's lost track of how far he's gone and how long he's been running. It's not like it matters, he has forever. He can't die of exhaustion or dehydration, his body will continue living even when he doesn't want it to.

Eventually he stumbles, foot catching on a tree root and sending him crashing to the forest floor, head ringing from the impact with a tree. He's deep into the forest now. Yuu turns onto his back to stare up at the blue sky peeking between the thick leaves of the tree, it should fill him with hope and possibility, but all he can feel is his impending despair and loneliness. He shuts his eyes and sighs, he just needs time. Then maybe he can face everyone knowing their time together is slowly counting down...

Yuu doesn't bother counting how many days and nights pass while he lays there unmoving. The hunger pangs have long since subsided into a far off dull ache and his body is weak, but still alive. He shifts for the first time in what feels like forever, the stiffness of his body evidence of how long he's been here. The moon is high and full in the sky, illuminating his surroundings, although from his position, there's nothing to see but trees anyway. He's surprised some animal hasn't tried to eat him yet. Although, maybe they can sense his inhumanity and keep far away. They're smart.

"You're still alive...I thought you were finally dead."

Yuu startles and struggles to turn his weak, resisting body towards the muffled voice, only succeeding in craning his neck awkwardly to catch a splash of gold and white not far from him in the dim light. "Who are you?" He had no idea someone else was out here with him. How did their presence escape his heightened senses? Since becoming a demon, all his senses are stronger, but he never felt anyone else out here with them.

"If you can talk, you can leave. I don't want you here."

"How long have you been here?"

"Longer than you and I was fine here alone."

Yuu pauses, straining his ears intently, but hears nothing. Maybe the fatigue has weakened him, but if he's been there longer than him, he should have heard him before now. "...You're not breathing."

"I don't breathe."

His body seizes, taken over by adrenaline and he fights frantically to push his body away, but it's useless. He can barely move any part of his body. That doesn't stop his fear though, he wants to die, but not here and not yet, never without seeing his family again and experiencing the rest of their limited time together.

Yuu's shoulders sag as he gives up, it's futile to keep trying when he's too weak to make a difference. "What are you?" He whispers into the silence.

"I'm a vampire, what else?"

Yuu chuckles self-deprecatingly, at one point he had thought vampires were the only supernatural things on the planet too. Now he wonders, can a vampire even kill him? They're both immortal, but he doesn't know the full workings of a vampire's body. At full strength he might even be a match for one.

"Why are you out here?"

"To die."

Yuu scoffs, "Yeah right. You're a vampire, what could possibly make _you_ want to die? Your kind does all the killing."

"What do you know?" He snarls back. "You've been out here weeks and you haven't moved. You're probably out here for some stupid reason. A girl break up with you?" He mocks.

"No…"

"It doesn't matter anyway. Leave. I'm close to death anyway, I don't want to be tempted into ripping your neck open and draining you. I'd rather die of starvation."

Yuu flinches at the description, but replies anyway. "Unfortunately for you, I'm too weak to move."

The other male growls in warning and shifts farther away. "Then die already, so I no longer have to smell you."

"I don't want to die yet. Not now. Later, when everyone's gone."

Yuu hears a long suffering sigh, "I guess I'll never get peace."

"If you help me, you'll get to be alone here."

"I'm not leaving this forest until I'm dead, so I guess we'll die here together."

Yuu grunts in frustration with his situation. He stayed here to have time to himself, but for the short moment he thought he might actually die, he realized how foolish he'd been to run away from the people who cared about him the most. His time with them is limited, he should have been enjoying it instead of running away to deal with himself alone. Now, he wants to return home, but lacks the strength to do so.

No one knows he's here and according to the vampire he's been here weeks and not a single person has wandered through. He could be here for months, leaving his family to worry about him and when they do find him, they may not even recognize him with his throat ripped out, yet even that wouldn't kill him. His only hope is to convince the vampire to save him.

"Hey...what's your name?" He receives no response and calls out a few more times to the silence. He may as well be alone here.

 _~~~~~  
It hurts so much...and this human has only made it worse. _Temptation calls to him every second of every day for weeks. If he had the energy to move, he would move farther away, but he's been lying here so long, he doesn't have the will or ability to move far. Dying by starvation is taking much longer than he thought. Every day the burn in his throat remains, never dulling, always constant. He _must_ be near the end, he has to be. He's not sure how much longer he can hold on.

Unfortunately the human seems to be resilient also, he thought the male would have died days ago from lack of food and water, but he can still talk, annoyingly enough. Mikaela pushes his face harder into the ground. No matter, if he ignores him, soon enough the human would lose the strength to speak anyway.

A few more days pass and the human goes back into whatever hibernating state he was in for all those weeks and other than the occasional sounds of nature, silence reigns around them.

It isn't until what's almost a week later that the human begins calling out to him again, he doesn't answer, but that doesn't stop the other male. He knows Mikaela is there and listening whether he wants to be or not.

"So, my name's Yuu. It's short for Yuuichirou, which is kind of long, so most people call me Yuu. I'm seventeen and I live with my adopted dad. I have a group of close friends, I've known them since I was 15, they're kind of like my second family. Although, we all have different personalities and tend to clash a lot, we care about each other. I'm sure they're all worried about me."

Mikaela begins to tune him out as Yuu describes his family. He doesn't have a family and Yuu will never see his again, so what does it matter what they're like? All he has is Krul and she's barely anything to him. She may consider herself his savior, but he knows the truth. She ruined everything. He had accepted his fate to be left for dead. No one asked her to step in and force this upon him. When he died, he wasn't leaving anything unfinished, he was at peace with the end of his short life. _This_ he never wanted.

"Hey, you gonna tell me your name now?"

"..."

"Come on! If we're about to die here together, the least we could do is introduce ourselves. After all, if this is the end, it doesn't matter what we say. It dies with us."

Well the human, no Yuu, does have a point. Nothing he says will go past this forest. "...Mikaela."

"Mikaela? I thought you were...you sounded like…"

He rolls his eyes, somethings will always be the same. "I am a boy."

"Oh. Well hey, at least you're speaking to me again!"

"Don't make me regret it."

"I won't! Do you have family waiting for you?"

"No."

"None?"

"None that matter."

"I bet you've seen a lot of cool things in your lifetime."

"I haven't."

"You've been living hundreds of years, there has to be _something_."

"I've only been a vampire for a year."

"Oh. So much for getting interesting stories in my last days."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"It's fine. At least I'm not out here alone."

"What's it matter? Someone to share your fate lessens it?"

"Yeah, and no one really wants to be alone, even at the end."

"..."

"Not even _you._ "

"Wrong."

"Nah, I'm right. But either way, I'm here. So, you don't have to lie. I'll take it to my grave."

Mikaela frowns, what a talkative human. There's nothing for him to feel afraid of, but still. When he was dying, he accepted it. He didn't hope someone would come by to talk to him in his last moments. The only thing he wished was that someone would have cared that he was gone, no human cared what happened to him. Yuu doesn't have to wish that, it sounds like he was plenty of people who care about him.

"Hey, you okay? You stopped talking."

He shuffles a few inches farther away, "I don't want to talk anymore."

"Wait! Don't move farther away! We don't have to talk, but don't leave! Mikaela? Mikaela! Ugh."

~~~~~  
He's not sure what he said to upset Mikaela, but now he's back listening to the sound of his own breathing and they were making so much progress too. The first drop startles him when it lands in the center of his face. He sighs, a storm, perfect.

The drop is just the beginning and he's instantly drenched when the downpour starts, helpless to find shelter or cover himself. The most he can do is shut his eyes and turn his head slightly to keep from choking on rain. Never has he wished for an umbrella more.

Sometime during the night the rain stops just as suddenly as it began, but there's no sun or warmth to dry him, only the silver light of the moon which he's starting to hate. Yuu wonders if he can still get sick as he shivers.

It's morning when he next opens his eyes. The late morning light shines in his eyes and he can feel the stiffness of his clothes, the only damp parts beneath him. The fact that he slept so long probably means he can get sick and his body was doing its best to fight pneumonia off.

"Hey Mikaela, did you survive the storm?"

"What else would I have done?"

"I dunno, the rain could've washed you away."

Mikaela sighs, "No Yuu, I'm still here, just damp."

"Did you get sick?"

"I'm a _vampire._ That's not something I have to worry about anymore."

"You said you've only been a vampire a year, right?"

"Yes."

"How did you get turned?"

"..."

Yuu huffs, "The silent treatment again?"

"...I was dying."

"Oh! And then you were saved!"

" _This is not saving!_ "

"Sorry…"

"How can you think becoming a monster could possibly equal being saved?"

"Because you're still alive."

"I'd rather be dead."

"Then you wouldn't have met me!" Yuu jokes.

"Another person ready to die."

"I was in a bad place, but I don't want to die now!"

"My feelings haven't changed."

Yuu sighs, how is he supposed to convince someone with a deathwish to help him out of the forest? Mikaela's too full of despair to have hope. He's pretty sure in a few decades he'll be in the same position, but for now he has to get back. "Are you going to tell me why you were dying?"

There's a silence where he can tell Mikaela is considering whether to answer and not outright ignoring him, so he waits.

"I had snuck out of my house one night, not to do anything rebellious, but to just get a semblance of some freedom. My parents...didn't want a child and yet they kept me anyway. They never hid how much they loathed my presence. They weren't affectionate and I was only let out of the house for school. I had a few friends when I was in elementary, but word of my parents spread around and they all kind of drifted off and I was the outcast."

"I'd hug you if I could move," Yuu tells him honestly.

"Shut up Yuu. What matters is I got careless and lost, then someone tried to grab me and I fought back. They pulled a knife and it was over at that point. I was laying there ready for it to end, happy that I'd never have to go home again when Krul appeared."

"Krul?"

"My sire. The one who decided I was going to be her progeny and turned me. So, instead of finally escaping this place, I was turned into something even more unlovable."

"Unlovable?"

"My parents didn't love me and no one loves monsters."

"I don't think you're a monster."

"What would _you_ know? You have your two happy families back home."

Yuu hums thoughtfully, "I don't think you'd be hard to love."

"You're just saying that because you want me to help you."

"No, I'm serious," he insists. "I think it would be easy."

"You're awful."

Yuu sighs when Mikaela shuts down again and refuses to answer him, as much as Mikaela doubts him, he was serious.

Mikaela is abrupt with him, but listening to him talk reveals his true feelings. As a human, he was happier to die than go back to his unloving home. As a vampire, he could have a whole new life, but he doesn't consider it worth living if he can't be loved. That speaks volumes.

Yuu's almost positive that the one thing Mikaela would want more than death is to be loved. It's probably the one thing that could give him the will to live. If he wasn't given affection as a human or a vampire, then it makes sense for his personality to be closed off from others.

 _But_ , if he didn't care, he wouldn't mention it. Someone who wants to be loved isn't going to make loving them difficult. Whoever loves Mikaela, _if_ they love him the right way, would likely receive his unconditional love back. Faithful, unwavering love for the first person to bond with him.

He doesn't know what Mikaela thinks about him, if anything at all, but he wouldn't mind filling that spot. After all, Mikaela's a vampire, immortal and unchanging just like him. His love would be loyal and eternal. Mikaela would love him more than anything no matter what, _forever_. Yuu would never have to be alone again…

~~~~~  
Yuu is so easygoing, a life full of caring people would do that, Mikaela thinks bitterly. At one point, he may have wanted people to care about him or even just one person, but now he's past those types of feelings. Even if he found someone, their life would end far before his and he's not sure he could bear that kind of loss.

It doesn't matter anyway, what's done is done and stupid Yuu lying to try and convince him to help. As if he, someone who could have anyone, would choose him. Yuu is the worst type of human, the kind that uses and uses, weaving lies for their own benefit, he can see straight through Yuu's kind words and he's not so easily fooled as Yuu would believe. He ignores the slight sting he feels from Yuu's lie and wonders why neither of them are dead yet.

For days now, he's been fighting the urge to bite his hand just for a taste of blood to slake his thirst, though it wouldn't help in the long run. His own blood would do next to nothing, just prolong his suffering. His body is already proving more resilient to death than he'd initially thought. Although his senses are getting weaker, a blessing that he can barely smell Yuu with his face buried amongst the damp leaves on the forest floor.

"You need a nickname."

" _What?_ "

"Mikaela's pretty, but it's a mouthful."

"No worse than Yuuchirou," he mutters.

"Hey! You remembered!"

"I don't have much else to do here."

Yuu laughs, "True! _And_ I have a nickname."

"Do you really think that's what I need when I'm about to die?"

"I'll use it in the afterlife!"

"We are not going to the same place."

Yuu continues on, ignoring him, "I think 'Mika' will do!"

"..."

"What? You don't like it?"

"No."

"It'll grow on you!" Mikaela can practically feel the grin Yuu's probably wearing right now.

"Why are you acting like this is normal?"

"Crying won't do anything. I don't have much else to do here."

Mikaela frowns at having his words used against him, Yuu should be spending his energy calling for help, not giving him useless nicknames. "You could have tried screaming for help."

"Nah, I've been here forever and haven't heard a single person come by. I'd rather use my energy to talk with you, Mika!"

"..." He hates the flash of pleasure he gets from hearing Yuu refer to him by a nickname, especially one that isn't negative. The only time he's been called something other than his name is when he was being insulted. Someone calling him a nickname with no malice behind it is a new experience for him.

"Mika? Don't go back to ignoring me now." There's a gentle warmth budding in his stomach and he's less than pleased about it. Yuu's manipulative and he has no right to cause him positive feelings. It seems he severely underestimated the human, he's clever. If he's not careful, he may end up playing right into his hands.

Yuu doesn't ever shut up, so his best chance is to offend him enough to realize how pointless attempting to wiggle into his good graces is. "Why are you here?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I can't move, remember?"

"No, why did you even come here? You left your family to run into the forest and die."

"I wasn't trying to die."

"Answer the question."

Yuu is silent for a few minutes before sighing, "I found out the lives of me and my family weren't going to be the same."

"That's it?"

" _That's it?_ They're going to die way before me!"

"Oh and then you'll be alone?"

"Yeah!"

"So because you don't get to live as long as you want with your precious family, you ran away leaving them to worry instead of enjoying the time you had with them. You really are a selfish human. I wouldn't even want to be loved by you."

He hears Yuu suck in a breath and smiles to himself, serves him right. "You're an ass."

"I never said I wasn't."

It's a few minutes later when Yuu quietly murmurs, "You haven't won."

Mikaela curls his shoulders in slightly without bothering to answer. If he succeeded in getting Yuu to shut up, he considers it a win.

~~~~~  
Yuu isn't stupid, he knows exactly what Mikaela is trying to do, push him away so he stops trying to learn about him. He won't stop though, if anything it encourages him. Mikaela doesn't want them to talk anymore, so he must be making progress or else he wouldn't bother with the berating. The other boy may as well wear his heart on his sleeve. That knowledge bolsters Yuu's confidence and he grins, he may actually get out this forest sooner rather than later.

 _Talking with Mikaela will have to wait though…_ His eyelids are starting to droop again. They've been so heavy lately, it requires so much effort to keep them open. Even now, he's losing the battle to keep the sky in his sights, although everything's blurry when they are open, it's better than seeing nothing. Maybe he'll have more energy if he just rests a little…

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The first thing Yuu notices when he wakes is the darkness. Not the dark of night, but a pure pitch black darkness that not even the moon's light pierces. The second thing he notices is his eyes are open which makes his heart race. Yuu struggles to keep his breathing even in the wake of another lost sense. His sense of smell is long gone, a blessing in disguise because he probably smells horrible. Then his hearing had started gradually declining and now his sight is gone. He might not be able to die, but living in such a crippled state terrifies him.

"Why are you breathing like that?"

Yuu jerks violently at the sound of Mikaela's voice, he'd forgotten he wasn't alone out here. "No reason," he tries to answer nonchalantly, but the edge of panic in his voice hurts his efforts.

"...Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" Yuu laughs loudly, "I just woke up, that's all!"

"You seem-"

"Tell me about Krul!" _Anything to take my mind off this!_

"Why?"

"Come on! If you tell me, I won't call you by your nickname anymore, since you hate it so much!"

"..."

Ah, he forgot, Mikaela's not honest, he probably loves the nickname. "Or...I will? I won't talk about my family anymore, how's that?" Even he can hear how strained his voice is, Mikaela's enhanced hearing is likely picking up his rapid heartbeat, uneven breathing, and barely held together voice. He wouldn't be surprised if the vampire was waiting for him to die at any minute.

"...She's short. I don't think she aged past fourteen before she was turned."

He lets out a sigh of relief.

"She has bright pink hair and favors little black dresses. Despite her young appearance, she's extremely powerful and has high standards. Krul likes complete obedience."

Yuu laughs lightly, somewhat calmed by the sound of Mikaela's voice, "Why can't I see you as the completely obedient type?"

"I'm not."

"Didn't think so."

"I suppose she has more patience with me since I'm her progeny and I can get away with a lot more, but sometimes even with me her patience runs out."

"Do you give her the silent treatment too?"

"Yes and she's content to ignore me right back unlike _you._ "

"Hey, if I ignored you back, we'd never get anywhere. You're too stubborn."

" _Me?_ You're the one who won't stop talking!"

"I never said I wasn't," Yuu smirks.

Mikaela huffs and he laughs, it's just _too_ easy to use his words against him. They lapse into silence briefly before the panic begins to take hold again. Without Mikaela's voice to fill the space, it feels like he's alone in the dark and he hates it. Being alone wasn't so bad when he could still see, but now it's too much to bear.

"Mikaela…"

"What?"

"Can you...come closer?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Yuu."

" _Please._ Just close enough to touch." There's a pause before he hears light shuffling and a wrist is pushed against his hand. It's not much, but he'll take it. His fingers desperately scramble to grab the thin wrist in a weak grip. "Please stay."

"Where else would I go?"

"Just please _stay_ ," he begs as his voice cracks on the last word.

"Okay! I'm not going anywhere."

Yuu takes a few deep breaths and calms down, squeezing lightly at Mikaela's wrist. "I won't give up on you, you know?"

"Whatever you say."

He can hear the skepticism clear as day in the other boy's voice, not voicing his thoughts that Yuu would surely die before being able to convince him to leave the forest.

"I can't see…"

"Huh?"

He clears his throat harshly and repeats stronger, "I can't see."

"Oh...that makes sense."

"What?"

"Why you were breathing weirdly and why after all these weeks you wanted me to move closer."

"Yeah, it's terrifying to be in the dark alone...especially when _you_ don't talk."

"I wasn't talking when you first collapsed here either."

"I could see then too. Now, I'm blind and I think my voice will go pretty soon too." His throat is becoming raspy and it's starting to hurt to talk, but he knows that if he stops talking, Mikaela will too.

"Thank god."

"Shut up, you'll miss me."

"I can definitely say I will enjoy the silence."

"You won't miss me, not even a little?"

"Nope."

"Liar. There won't be anyone else to call you 'Mika.' I know you like it."

"..."

Yuu laughs at Mikaela's silence that says it all. He really wishes he could see the other boy right now, reach out and trace his fingers along the frown he's almost certain Mikaela's wearing, read the annoyance in his eyes. He's also curious about what he looks like, he knows about his life and what he sounds like, but putting voice to appearance is still a mystery. Maybe he'll ask later. After all, he's been lying here near him for months, he should at least know what he looks like.

~~~~~  
Mikaela holds his breath to make sure he doesn't involuntarily take in Yuu's scent as he turns to look at him, he can't see much of his appearance with the layer of filth covering his face and hair, all he can really recognize in his brief glance is matted black hair and long eyelashes. Yuu's eyes are shut, he supposes there's no point opening them if he can't see.

He turns his head back, burying his nose back into the ground so that he inhales nothing but the scent of dirt and forest. Why isn't he dead yet? He's a vampire yes, but even their bodies need sustenance. No blood and he should have been dead weeks ago. His free hand scratches aimlessly at the dirt while his other remains still to avoid waking Yuu. More conversation is the last thing he needs.

When Yuu asked him to move closer, he'd hesitated. His thirst was already strong, closer and he might lose control, but Yuu had begged and he'd let himself give in. The other boy doesn't seem to be doing well and if his last wish was to have someone touching him as he died, well even he could do that much. It's more than he had.

Now, the only person who ever really touches him is Krul and it's not for comfort or reassurance. It's a different sensation, someone touching him because it brings them happiness. He's not sure how he feels about it yet, instead he focuses on slowly sliding his wrist away until Yuu's fingers tighten incrementally. Guess he wasn't asleep like he'd hoped.

"Mika?" He groans aloud, of course Yuu would take that as an invitation to talk. "Don't groan at me!"

"What do you want now?"

"Why're you acting like I'm such an inconvenience?"

"Well..."

Yuu huffs, "Quit being a jerk, I'm dying. Have some respect."

"I'm respectfully not leaving you here alone. I can only do so much."

"If I could kick you, I would."

He laughs lightly, "I wonder if you really would. I'm a vampire or did you forget? I could easily chop your leg off."

"I doubt you'd do that."

"You never know."

"What do you look like?"

Mikaela blinks uncomfortably, "Average."

"No, seriously I want to know. I have this picture of you in my head. Fangs, red eyes, black hair, super pale, tall and thin, kind of creepy looking."

"I'm not Dracula."

Yuu laughs, "Then you gotta help me out!"

No one's ever said much about his looks, he's not _disgusted_ when he looks in the mirror like his parents were every time they looked at him. He wasn't ever the butt of ugly jokes no matter how much his parents told him he was, but no one ever approached him based on his looks, not that anyone had much of a chance. At school, he was an outcast and he didn't leave the house much. He's certain his looks are probably less than average and he tells Yuu as much.

"Mika! Less than average doesn't tell me anything and you're probably lying! At least describe yourself."

"I have blonde hair."

" _Blonde?_ That's not scary at all. Are you not Japanese? You speak it like a native? What else?"

He wrinkles his nose slightly at Yuu's onslaught of questions, "Why are you so focused on this?"

"I want to know what my future partner looks like."

Mikaela scoffs, "You're dead."

"Not yet."

"...I'll tell you if you let go of me," he replies with a small smirk.

"..."

"Guess you don't want to know that bad."

"That's not fair," Yuu responds quietly.

"Neither is life."

Yuu's fingers tighten slightly, but he doesn't press the subject. His choice is clear.

He's being an ass, he knows it. But getting attached to Yuu even briefly isn't something he wants, especially when who knows how long each of them will live. Maybe if Yuu had found him as a human, they could've been friends, but no one wanted him then and now it's too late. It really is cruel the hand he's been dealt. The only person he's had a chance of befriending in years and there's no point.

The most he can give Yuu in return for the friendship he's claimed to offer is the true reason he's out here and refuses to go back, not even to save his life.

"Yuu."

"Yeah."

"I killed a human."

"...yeah."

"Yeah? That's all you have to say?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"You should be saying I'm a monster who doesn't deserve to live!"

"That's not what you want me to say. Besides," Yuu chuckles darkly. "I'm the last person who can call anyone a monster."

"So, what, you're saying it's _fine._ "

"I didn't say that either."

"Then what? Still want me as you partner now?"

Yuu sighs heavily, "Why'd you do it? You feel bad about it, so why?"

"I was really thirsty and I hadn't drunk anything in months. Krul was already fed up with me, so she'd stopped forcing me to drink. She had sent me on an errand and on the way back I saw a man trying to rescue a cat from a tree. The exact moment the cat scratched and drew blood, I attacked. I don't even remember doing it, the next thing I knew he was dead in my arms with a broken neck and I was full for the first time in months."

"Then what did you do?"

"I left him there and ran home. I heard the screams before I even got around the corner."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for me, be sorry for him. He died helping a cat."

"Okay then, why don't you drink blood?"

"Because it's inhumane to drink the blood of another person to survive."

"But...you're not human."

"Thanks for the reminder," he answers flatly.

"Well, you're not! Why would you hold yourself to the same standards?"

"I might be a vampire now, that doesn't mean I have to hurt people."

"You don't even like humans, none of them ever helped you."

"I don't want to be like them either! Hurting people to make myself feel better."

"The difference is you're doing it to survive. You ate animals as a human, didn't you?"

"That's different."

"It's really not, especially if you assume animals can feel too."

"..."

"I'm right and I'd let you drink from me to survive."

"Don't say things you don't mean."

"I mean it. Mika, you were miserable as a human and now you have a second chance, you should enjoy every minute of it. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, only how you feel."

"I feel terrible about it," he mutters.

"Well don't and if you hate hurting humans so much, then you really should live. We need more people like you."

"You're so optimistic."

"I hope it rubs off on you," he teases.

"Maybe."

Yuu doesn't get what it's like to hate what you are and to have your very existence depend on taking advantage of others. Maybe most people would love the chance for eternal life, but there's nothing he wants to live for. He selfishly killed someone to feed himself in the one moment he lost control and became just like the people who never cared about him.

He lays there, letting the tears run freely from his eyes. Why couldn't Yuu have found him sooner?

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Mikaela tugs at his wrist lightly and Yuu's fingers fall away easily. They haven't talked in days and Yuu's heartbeat is slow and barely there. He's barely holding on and unlike the relief he expected, he feels hollow inside, a subtle feeling of emptiness from the fact that Yuu will never call him 'Mika' again or squeeze his wrist or talk to him like he's normal and most of all that he'll never find out if Yuu was being honest or lying to get what he wanted. He can't believe it, really. He hasn't even known Yuu that long and he involuntarily let himself get attached, he really underestimated him or his own want of companionship.

He hates that a part of him, bigger than he'd like, is actually considering saving Yuu. He really shouldn't though. He'd have to drink blood to save him which would prolong his death, then what about if Yuu died at the hospital anyway and he probably would anyway, then there'd be no point. But, even if he didn't make it, at least the hospital would contact his family so they'd know what happened. He's sure Yuu would want that, but should he really risk living just for Yuu's family?

He'll sleep on it, he decides.

When night comes, Yuu's still hanging on and as loathe as he is to do it, he makes his decision. Yuu better be grateful for this no matter what quality of life he's stuck with, even if he's blind and mute. It would serve him right for ruining everything.

With a deep inhale to steady himself, Mikaela flips over and leans closer to Yuu, desperately hoping he doesn't lose himself to thirst when he drinks. Yuu's neck is filthy, covered in dirt and whatever else, just like his whole body. Now that he's letting himself smell again, he realizes just how bad Yuu smells, it almost overpowers the weak scent of his blood.

He sinks his fangs gently into Yuu's neck and despite the unhealthy taste, it's revitalizing. Mikaela eagerly lets himself take a few swallow, already feeling the weak blood feeding his body and jump starting his recovery. The only thing that keeps him from fully losing himself is the thinness of Yuu's blood and how slow his circulation is, it's giving him nourishment, but he'd have to drain his whole body to get even a semblance of satisfaction from the sickly taste.

He pulls away and sits up with his newly regained strength. Yuu's blood wasn't the best right now and it won't be long before he's starving again, he'll have to be quick. He scoops Yuu up easily and his body weighs next to nothing, the clothes loose and sagging around his emaciated frame. It'd be a miracle if Yuu pulled through this. But, at least he tried to do the right thing.

It's night time, so it's not difficult to make his way to the hospital undetected. He could only imagine how bad it would look if someone caught sight of them. A vampire sneaking through the streets with a nearly dead unconscious human in his arms, both filthy and disgusting. He'd never make it to safety before he was lynched.

His arms relax as the large windows of the hospital come into view, just a little farther and he can dump Yuu and be done with it. What's the best way to go about this? He doesn't want to be seen and if he enters the hospital, they might catch him on camera. Plus if Yuu doesn't pull through, they'd hunt him down to find out what happened and attempt to bring him to justice.

Mikaela might be Krul's wayward progeny, but it would be a bloodbath if they tried to kill him. A huge mess he'd rather avoid, not to mention the bulk of lives lost would fall on him too.

He spots the paramedics on break near the ER entrance and makes up his mind. Briefly dropping Yuu to the ground to pull his hood over his face and cinch it tight, Mikaela uses the full extent of his vampire speed to dash across the lot and practically throw Yuu onto a paramedic before disappearing just as fast, only stopping once he's far enough away.

The ground rushes up to meet him as his body collapses against a bench. Yuu's blood barely sustained him, but restarted his time needed for starvation and now there's only one place left for him to go. He punches a hole through the bench in frustration, letting angry tears fall.

Guess Yuu won after all.


	2. Liminality

Part 2: Liminality

* * *

The first thing Yuu notices when he opens his eyes is that he can see again. Everything is blurry and he can barely make out shapes, but he's not surrounded by darkness anymore. The second thing he notices is the fatigue in his body and the IV connected to his arm. He drops his head back against the pillow and breathes out quietly, he's alive.

There's no one in the hospital room with him, so he takes the opportunity to think before a nurse runs in to check on him. If he's here safe and alive in a hospital, that can only mean one thing and that's that Mika actually gave in and helped him. Then, despite his devout belief that Yuu wouldn't be able to convince him, he still saved him in the end. _So, where are you now?_ Yuu refuses to believe that's the last he'll know of Mikaela even if he has to hunt him down himself. He's already decided Mikaela is perfect for him to spend eternity with, he just has to make sure the other boy knows it too.

"Yuu!" He flinches at the sound of his name as the door to his room flies open. "You idiot! You're awake!" Guren wraps arms around him, careful not to jostle his IV. "We were worried you went and did something stupid and got yourself killed."

"I can't die, remember?"

"You're still stupid enough to try! Look at where you are!"

"Yuu's awake!" He looks up to see Yoichi in his doorway, quickly beckoning to someone he can't see, though he finds out soon enough when all four of his friends nearly maul each other to get into his room.

"You brought _everyone_?"

"Had to. They care too, Yuu."

"Damn right we do," Shinoa adds. "Next time you wanna go AWOL, _don't_! Like what the hell we thought the worse!"

"Shinoa thought you'd gotten attacked by a bear and were being nursed back to health by a den of foxes." Yoichi supplies helpfully.

"...What?"

"She was only saying that to make herself feel better, we all really did think the worse," Mitsuba explains, elbowing her way through them.

"Sorry guys, I thought I needed time to adjust to the idea…"

"Two months?" Kimizuki questions. "I hope you've adjusted enough that you absolutely _love_ the idea."

"I don't think I needed quite that long, but my body gave out in the forest and by the time I was ready to come back, I was too weak to move, so I was stuck there."

"... _That's_ what happened?" Guren questions skeptically.

"What do you mean?"

"The doctors weren't sure, but they said it looked like you had been captured by a vampire and starved, then they'd drained you before dumping you here."

"No, that didn't happen at all."

"You had bite marks on your neck." Yuu reaches up to feel the side of his neck, but there's only smooth skin. Even so, that means Mikaela made the decision to drink from him to save them both. He really will have to find him.

He shakes his head, "I don't remember that. I hadn't had food or water for weeks, so I didn't have the energy to leave the forest. I thought I'd be there forever until they eventually cut down the forest years later." He finishes with a laugh.

"It's no laughing matter, Yuu!" Kimizuki exclaims with a punch to his arm.

"Sorry! But, I'm safe and alive, so it's all good, right?"

"How _did_ you get here? The nurse said someone in a hood threw you on a paramedic and ran."

"I'm not sure," he lies. "The last thing I remember is going blind in the forest and then falling asleep afraid of waking up alone."

"Well you certainly didn't wake up alone."

"Yeah! Thanks for that guys!" He shoots them all a wide grin.

"You're such a dork, Yuu! It's like you don't even care about what happened!"

"I do, Mitsuba," he replies seriously. "I really thought I would never get to see you guys again and that I'd have to live the rest of my life blind. You guys are my family and I hated not being able to tell you where I was. I guess I'm just too happy it's over to be down."

She shakes her head with a sigh, "You're lucky you can heal or you'd be forced to live forever as a near corpse."

"Uh thanks?"

"Speaking of your less than human traits," Guren interrupts, "Did you have any...episodes?"

"No, you guys worry too much, I've been me the entire time."

Guren nods, "That's good, we don't need any pictures of you sprouting horns and a tail to pop up on the internet."

"Ha ha."

"I'm not joking. It'll only get worse if you don't learn to keep it under control."

Yuu sighs and leans back against his pillow, "I know, but I have forever to figure it out, don't I?" He murmurs with a sad smile.

A weighted silence falls over the room as Guren and his friends exchange looks between each other. He wonders if they've come to grips with it as much as he has. That's not to say he's fully accepted it, but if he manages to convince Mikaela to stay with him, the future might not be such a terrifying thing. Since he'll be left here alone eventually, it doesn't really matter whether they agree with his choice or not. They should want someone to keep him from going crazy, even if a vampire isn't what they had in mind.

He lets his eyelids fall shut as Yoichi attempts to ease the tension in the room by making small talk. His body hasn't fully recovered and all the talking is exhausting him. He hears an unfamiliar voice shout 'Everybody out!' before sleep overtakes him again.

~~~~~  
Mikaela stumbles through the front entrance of Krul's palatial estate, the other vampires giving him a wide berth. He doesn't blame them, he's filthy and probably reeks, not to mention being starved. They probably think's he half mad if the side glances mean anything. The exertion of his run has already completely burned through the energy Yuu's weak blood gave him.

He shoves vampires out of the way in his mad race to the kitchen, blood the only thing on his mind. Once he reaches the kitchen, he doesn't stop to warm the blood or even hesitate before throwing open the fridge and ripping open a blood bag with his teeth. He swallows the cold blood in rapid gulps and drops the bag on the floor, immediately reaching for another and another until the burning in his throat is finally quenched..

It's when he finally comes back to his senses that he realizes what a mess he's made. There's blood all over the floor, his hands, face, stained all over his clothes, and even in his hair. Mikaela drops the last bag and collapses to the ground, huddling in on himself in misery. _I'm such a monster!_

That's how Krul finds him an hour later, filthy and covered in blood. "Ah, my wayward progeny has finally returned home. In a sad state, but home nonetheless," she says, prodding him with the tip of her boot.

"..."

"They said you were in here tearing apart the blood supply." She gives a cursory glance around the room, "I see they weren't exaggerating."

Mikaela hunches over further, "Leave me alone."

"Afraid not." Her hand snaps out to lock around his wrist, "Clean up, you've got work to do."

"I haven't even been here," he protests.

"Exactly, so you've neglected your duties as my progeny for too long, it's time to make an appearance." She wrinkles her nose, "You smell disgusting, you look filthy too. What alleyway did you crawl out of? No matter, let's go."

She drags him down the pristine hallways of her estate, stopping in front of several human servants and shoving him forward. "Hose him off, then I want him presentable in an hour." The servants give him a wary look and Krul fixes her ruby red eyes on him, "Don't give them any trouble, Mikaela."

"Fine."

"One hour."

Mikaela allows himself to be herded out into the back and rinsed down before submerging himself in his giant bathtub filled with soapy hot water. He may hate being a vampire, but having Krul as his sire isn't without its perks. It feels nice to finally get all the dirt and nature off his skin and out of his hair. Even with the rinse down beforehand, the bathwater still gets murky quickly and he sits on the edge of the tub as he drains it and runs more.

He's fine now, but he wonders if Yuu survived. Humans don't have the fast recovery that vampires do. Drink blood and he can make a full recovery. He's not sure if all the medicine in the world can undo the damage to Yuu's emaciated body especially when his senses began to shut down.

Sliding back into the water, he makes a mental note to find out the minute he's free from Krul's thumb. Even if Yuu _didn't_ mean what he said, he wants to know if choosing to live was actually worth something. If...no, it doesn't matter.

"Mikaela?"

"What?"

"You only have fifteen minutes…"

He sighs at the timid voice of the woman. He's been here a year, hasn't ever attacked any of them, and yet they're _still_ wary of him. "Fine."

Reaching for a towel, he steps out onto the tile floor and into his bedroom where they're waiting with his clothes. He blanches at what they're holding up, that can only mean one thing. He's expected to play nice with visiting nobles. As much as he'd like to refuse, there's no reason to take his frustration out on them, they're just doing what they were told.

Mikaela allows them to dress him in the under layers before adding the white silk kimono royal robe over it and tying it with a silver kimono has faint sparkling silver snowflakes embroidered into it and although he doesn't like speaking with the other nobles, it's one of his favorites. Even with the three layers under the traditional style kimono and the wide sleeves that hang over his hands. Whether it's in his uniform or putting him up for show, Krul likes him in white and insists that his clothes befit his position, so white robes it is.

They pin the matching snowflake into his hair and he heads to the reception hall to take his seat by Krul's side. Unsurprisingly she's in another short black dress. _She_ refuses to wear robes similar to his, but he's forced into them every chance she gets.

"Quite an improvement."

"Not so much for you," he quips back.

"You know I don't care for those clothes."

"Yet you-"

"On me. You represent Japan too, so you should look the part. Besides, it's better than those ripped blood stained clothes you crawled back in here with."

"..."

"So tell me, what made you give up on starving to death?"

"I changed my mind."

"Doubtful, you were gone months."

He shrugs, "I thought of something I had to do." She raises an eyebrow at him. "Nothing important."

"Right. Realize I'll be keeping a closer eye on you. It looks bad if you disappear and come back looking as pathetic as you did. At least crawl through the back door next time."

"I didn't crawl."

"That's not what the guards said."

"I was thirsty."

"Ferid missed you."

He grimaces, "I don't know why."

"He enjoys getting a reaction out of you, though he'll be disappointed to know you're getting better."

"Maybe he'll find a new target then."

"Doubtful. Anyway frown if you must, but try not to lose your temper and don't answer any questions about where you've been."

"Okay."

It proves to be a long twelve hours. Unfortunately, he timed his return on the meeting day when all the different factions in Japan come to discuss restrictions and dole out punishments, so he's forced to sit through the entire thing, made worse by Ferid's enthusiasm at seeing him again.

He wants to shove him away, but one look from Krul is all it takes to restrain himself when Ferid drags him from his seat next to Krul and into another near him to tell him everything's he missed, drawing more than a few spiteful looks from several targets of his gossip.

There's nothing but relief when the meeting ends sometime near dawn and he escapes the whispers of derision and the angry target Ferid's gossip painted on his back. The other vampires already don't care for him, he doesn't need to know their weaknesses and what punishment they had to endure or who's been killing humans. He has no doubt Ferid's true motive was to cast a spotlight on him, his passive revenge for Mikaela helping one of his favorite blood children run off. He doesn't regret it though.

Once everyone has dispersed, he'd like to follow their lead and relax in his room, but instead he changes into jeans and a white hoodie before creeping out the back entrance and to his car, a silver two door. Normally he wouldn't bother to drive wherever he needed to go, but the hospital he dumped Yuu at is at least a four hour run and he doesn't have long before Krul notices he's gone again.

The drive is uneventful, mostly spent wondering about what he'll find when he arrives. If he'll still be in a coma or if they'll tell him Yuu's time has already come to an end. He almost manages to ignore the twinge in his gut at the thought.

Mikaela reaches the hospital in about two hours, parks, and asks for Yuu's room at the front desk. He's mildly surprised Yuu is allowed visitors, usually when someone is at death's door, the only people allowed are family and _that_ he most certainly is not. Once he makes it to Yuu's room on the 5th floor, he's shocked to see that Yuu already looks close to recovery, an IV can't do _that_ much, can it?

He steps closer to get a better look, gingerly reaching his fingers out to graze across Yuu's forehead. He's burning up, but despite that, there's a healthy glow to his tanned skin, not to mention he already seems to have regained weight. There must be steroids in that IV bag because his recovery is amazing. His fingers trail down to Yuu's hand, near the fingers that wrapped around his wrist doing their best to keep him near.

Fingers flex and his gaze flicks up to see vivid green eyes staring at him. He takes a step back in surprise, he'd only meant to see if Yuu survived not interact with him. Mikaela curses quietly when he hears people approaching and yanks his hand back before disappearing out of the room and down the hall in a blur.

Yuu lives, but he doesn't expect anything to come of it. At least he knows something good came of his choice.  
~~~~~

Yuu stretches from head to toe, twisting and bending to work all the kinks out, making sure he's as good as new. Even he's amazed at how smoothly his recovery went. Three days from a blind mute corpse to healthy with no sign of the damage is body sustained over those few months. He wasn't the only one astonished, the doctors were curious too.

Guren spun some tale to get them to back off, but from the suspicious looks they still shoot him every now and then, it didn't work as much as he'd hoped. The sooner he's out of here, the better or they might end up trying to run tests on him. Speaking of which, Guren's already signed him out and is waiting downstairs, but..he doesn't plan on going home just yet.

He heads down the stairs, plastering a smile on as he thinks of the best way to break the news to Guren without incurring his wrath. Previously, he would have been thrilled to go home and settle back into his life, but that's not where Mikaela is and he made a promise. In fact, he's pretty sure Mikaela isn't too far. He could be mistaken, but he's almost positive Mikaela came to see him sometime during his recovery, if the blurry half remembered memory of someone with blonde hair touching his hand is anything to go by.

Although even it wasn't him, he still doesn't have any intention of letting him go. He's interested in having security _now_ , no matter how long he has. Besides, anything could happen if he waits, Mikaela might actually decide to try and die again, he has to make sure that doesn't happen. He'll thank him too and make sure he knows whether he's dying or not, _he meant every word._

"You ready, Yuu?"

"Actually…"

Guren eyes narrow into a glare, "What is it?"

"There's something I need to do."

"What the hell could you possibly have to do here? You've been in the forest for two months!"

"I know, but there's something I heard about and I really want to find it."

"Yuu, you don't know anything about this area. You may be a demon now, but you're still 17!"

"Guren _please._ " He wheedles, reaching for his bag, "I promise I won't take long and I'll call you if anything happens!"

"I'll wait."

"Huh?"

"If you won't take long, I'll wait here."

"Oh...uh...it'll take longer than that."

"Yuu…"

"Seriously! It'll be fine! You know I won't die."

"I wouldn't put it past you to get caught."

"I'll be _extra_ careful!"

"You don't how to be careful!"

"I've learned! _Please_ , I really need this."

"...A week. That's literally all you get before I come hunt you down and I better get a call every night."

"Yes! Thank you! I swear I'll stay out of trouble." Yuu grabs him in a hug before he's abruptly pushed away.

"You better," Guren mutters, throwing his bag at him. "If I get a call from a hospital, I won't come running this time."

"You won't!"

Yuu watches Guren leave after throwing a parting glare back at him and grins. He's safe, his family isn't worried anymore, and now he has the time to search. _Where to begin?_

People know vampires exist, but they keep out of the public eye for the most part, content in their separate civilization. They're here, just very good at avoiding notice. However, if you look hard enough, you're bound to be able to find one or two in the less congested areas of the city, namely the shady back areas where those desperate for money go to sell their blood. So, that's where he'll head first.

A quick search brings up the closest location only a twenty minute train ride away and thirty minutes later, he's standing outside a nondescript building. The only visible signage a red drop of blood painted on the door. He's heard of these places, but never seen a reason to go. Though, he can't look down on the people who do come here. The vampires aren't forcing anyone and they do pay, so he supposes it's a beneficial relationship. Either way, there's only one vampire getting his blood and it's not anyone in here. _Let's get this over with._

Pushing open the door, he's immediately met with bright light and a surprisingly clean interior. It looks like any other waiting room, not nearly as sketchy as he'd thought.

"Welcome. How can I help you?"

He turns towards the voice to see a middle aged woman looking at him inquisitively from her desk. "Um...I'd like to give blood."

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Nope, first time."

"Are you 18 or over?"

"Yes."

She looks at him suspiciously, "I'll need to see ID."

"Huh? It's fine, I have parental permission!"

"Irrelevant, we won't be held liable for any underage damages."

"Look, I just need the money! I'll be in and out quick, no record!"

"And where will we say your blood came from?"

"Well...there won't be any record of it either...I was thinking….giving blood from the source."

She stares at him in surprise, giving him a once over, "You can't be that desperate for money."

"I have to survive on my own for a little while."

"Take a seat."

Yuu quickly takes an open chair, hoping they'll accept him. This is the only place he knows where there will definitely be vampires. If they throw him out, he's at less than square zero. If worse comes to worst, he could try fighting his way back there, though how well that goes depends on how many vampires are here and he did promise Guren he'd stay out of trouble. Maybe not the best option.

"Kid?"

He looks up hopefully, "Yeah?"

"Head back. You were never here and we're not held responsible for anything that goes wrong. Also, you get half the higher rate since we're letting your age slide."

"That's fine!"

Yuu bolts through the door and immediately finds himself in a tight grip. He looks over and red eyes meet his gaze, "This way."

Despite knowing he won't die easily, he can't help the instinctual spark of fear that goes through him from being eye to eye with humanity's natural predator. "Okay." Once they're in an exam room, the vampire lets him go and he immediately steps back against the wall. "So...I lied. I'm not actually here to sell blood."

"I don't think you have a choice now."

Ignoring him, Yuu continues on. "I just need someone to point me in the direction of a vampire named Krul."

"And what would you need with her?" He questions without a change in expression.

"I just have to ask her a question."

The vampire smiles, exposing sharp fangs, "Information for blood."

"Mmm...nah."

In a breath, Yuu's pinned to the wall, blinking in surprise while the vampire smirks at him before opening his mouth to bite down. He doesn't miss a beat, bringing up his feet against the vampire's chest and shoving him back with all his strength. Yuu can tell he's been underestimated by how fast his opponent hits the wall, so he doesn't waste a second, drawing a knife from his back pocket then plunging it into the vampire's neck and twisting. "Seriously just tell me where she is and I'll let you live."

"I'm not telling you anything, _human_ ," he spits, wrenching his neck away hard enough that it causes more damage and attempting to wrap his hands around Yuu's throat. Yuu lets him, only so he can keep his hands free enough to easily thrust the knife up into his heart. Blood runs down his hands, matching the bloodstains already forming on his clothes as Yuu rides the vampire to the floor, using his other hand to force the knife farther in.

This time when the vampire looks back at him, Yuu can read the fear in his eyes and notice the slight widening as the dying vampire's gaze roams over him. "Demon," he whispers.

"Yeah."

"Who sent you?"

"No one did. It's just really important for me to find someone and she's the only person who would know. I won't even tell you told me."

"..."

"Maybe that's a vampire thing." It doesn't matter though, his patience is starting to run out and he can already feel his fangs digging into his bottom lip. He takes a breath to calm down before his inner demon takes over completely and there's nothing left of the creature beneath him. "I'm going to shred your heart in five seconds if you don't tell me."

"No! I don't want to be a human slave like _you._ She's the queen of Japan."

"The queen?"

"Yes and she'll kill you if you try to attack her and I hope you do," he sneers.

Yuu rolls his eyes, "Just tell me where she is."

"Her estate is near the countryside about four hours from here."

"That's better, but I need directions."

"If you take the train to Kamogawa, it's a two hour walk from there."

"Which way?" He pushes his body into the knife lightly, backup could arrive any minute and this is taking too long.

"There's a dirt road from the station, just follow it! No one will drive you there, it's vampire territory."

"Thanks." He slowly pulls the knife out, keeping a wary eye on the vampire who immediately scrambles away once he's free of the knife. Yuu studies him critically, wondering if he really should kill him, but ultimately decides against it. It's not in his best interest to enter the vampire community with blood on his hands.

Wiping the knife on his shirt, he tucks it back into his pocket and lets himself out of the room before quietly slipping out the back door into the alley behind the building. The next thing on his list is to find somewhere to clean up, he can't show up looking like a serial killer. It's early afternoon, so if he leaves now, he can make it by the end of the day.

Rather than worry about finding somewhere to clean up, he ditches his soiled clothes in one of the trash bags and changes into fresh ones from his bag before making his way to the nearest train station. The wait for his train is about twenty minutes, so he uses the time to scrub his hands clean of blood and load up on snacks. He has no idea if a vampire's home will have human food or if they'll even let him stay.

Yuu manages to find a seat and it's an uneventful two hours crowded on the train until he reaches the stop at Kamogawa. After that, it's just as the vampire said, there's a dirt path winding off into the distance that he starts on, prepared for the long walk. He doesn't mind though, it gives him time to think, not that he didn't do plenty of thinking in the forest, but that was about his inhumanity. Now, it's about convincing the vampires and in turn Mikaela.

He's not worried about getting Mikaela to talk to him, but about reaching him. They might not let a human wander freely into their territory and why would a queen bother to speak with him. He has no intention of telling her that he's a demon, just a friend of Mikaela. Although, by the way Mikaela acts, him having a friend would probably be an unbelievable thing. Still, he has faith the other boy wants the same thing he does and whether he realizes it or not, Mikaela already belongs to him anyway.

The sun is nearing the horizon again when Krul's home comes into view. It's a massive enclosed property built in the traditional Japanese style. It must have been around for hundreds of years, he thinks because rarely is architecture still fully done in that style. Now, he's starting to feel a little intimidated.

Approaching the gate, he's surprised at the lack of guards, apparently just the locked gate is enough to deter visitors. There's no doorbell, no knocker, nothing to announce his presence. So instead, he yells at the first person he sees, a broad man walking by with a long red braid drinking from a wine glass.

The man pauses and turns to look at him, taking a sip as he studies him passively.

"Are you going to open the gate?"

"Who? Me?"

"Yes, you! Who else would I be talking to?"

"Are you late for work? You know the gate only opens twice a day for humans."

Yuu steps back aghast. _Humans work here?_ "No, I don't work here! I'm looking for a friend."

"A friend?" He questions skeptically. "Well, I'm not sure who your friend is, but shifts aren't over yet."

Yuu shakes the bars in frustration, "He's not a human! His name's Mikaela!"

"Oh?" He steps closer to the gate, red eyes looking him over with interest. "And how do _you_ know Mikaela? Some remnant from his human life?"

"Maybe."

"Well, he's left that life behind, I doubt you'd be welcome."

"No! I'm just kidding, I met him a few days ago! Is he here?"

"Probably. She's keeping him close ever since his disappearance. Which I guess is when you met him?"

"Right!"

"Hmm...I don't think I'll let a strange human in. Sorry."

"Can you just go get him?! I told him I'd come visit!"

"Maybe come back tomorrow at 8am when the gates open."

"What? No! Just let me in!"

"Crowley," a voice cuts in. "Let him in, don't be rude to one of Mikaela's guest."

Yuu looks over to see sharply dressed man in a suit with a swinging silver ponytail wearing a shit eating grin. Quite a difference from the redhead's jeans and t-shirt.

"Ferid, shouldn't you ask Krul?"

"Nonsense, he's Mikaela's guest!"

Crowley sighs and swallows the rest of the red liquid in his glass before leaving. "Your choice."

Ferid looks back at him with a smile and hits the controls to open the gate and ushers Yuu inside. "Now to what do we owe this visit?"

"I'm just here to see Mikaela."

"What business do you have with him?"

"I'm his _guest_. I thought that's why you let me in."

"That doesn't mean I can't ask questions. Our Mikaela doesn't talk to many people, so if someone shows up claiming to be his _friend_ , it's only natural to be curious."

"Is he here or not?" Yuu questions impatiently. He has no interest in talking to these other vampires right now, only his interests him.

Ferid throws an arm around his shoulder and drags him along, "Let's take a walk and see if we don't run into him somewhere around here."

"Who are you?" He questions with a suspicious look in Ferid's direction.

"I guess you could say...I'm like his father!"

"He never mentioned you."

"Well, he doesn't always say what's he's thinking, now does he?"

"That's true, but still. If you were really like his father, I think he would said _something_ about you."

"How well do you _really_ know him?"

"A lot better than I know you."

Ferid chuckles, tightening his arm, "True enough."

Yuu opens his mouth to ask where they're going when he's cut off by a new arrival.

"Ferid! Unhand the human! You don't touch the workers."

"But, he's not a _worker_ , he's a guest visiting a friend."

Yuu's eyes rake over the short girl. _Pink hair, young, little black dress. This has to be Krul!_ She's exactly as Mikaela described. "You're Krul, aren't you? I've been looking for you!"

"Oh! How familiar he is," Ferid laughs.

Krul's eyes narrow into a glare, "How do you know me and why did you come here?"

"I-"

" _If_ you had let me finish. He's here to visit _Mikaela_!"

"Mikaela?"

"Yeah, is he here?"

"What do you want with him?"

"We're friends!"

"He doesn't have _friends._ "

 _Ouch. "_ Well now he does!" Yuu exclaims, patting his chest. "I'm his first!"

"Follow me."

"Now it gets interesting!"

"Just him, Ferid."

"I want to know about Mikaela's friend too!"

"If he actually is, I'm sure you will."

Yuu follows her bouncing pink ponytails farther into the property. _Weird vampires._ They're not what he expected at all. He was expecting capes and growling with angry glares, not disinterest and curiosity. That silver haired vampire, Ferid, didn't even care where he came from or how he got here, just opened the gate without concern. Although, no one has offered to let him see Mikaela, so maybe they have their own type of security.

"Have a seat." Yuu takes a seat in what looks like her office and she sits in front of him, crossing her legs, and giving him a bored expression. "So, what do you want with my progeny?"

 _To lay my claim on him and keep him with me for eternity...hmm...maybe the truth isn't the best choice here._ "Uh...to see him?"

"Why?"

"Because I like him?"

"Stop answering in questions. How did you know to come here?"

"He told me about you when I met him, so I figured if anyone would know where he was, you would."

"When?"

"A few weeks ago?"

"When he was missing…" She surveys him closely, "Were you with him the whole time he was gone?"

"I'm not sure, I was with him for around two months I think."

She nods slowly, "Doing what?"

"He was...trying to die by starvation."

"I figured he would try something stupid like that, even if he couldn't succeed."

"He wouldn't?"

"Of course not, the idiot. We can't die by starvation, he would have just gone mad. Though, he must have had some control not to rip you apart in all that time."

"How do you know he didn't drink?"

"Because he was starved when he came back and ripped apart the blood supply. Hardly the behavior of a fed vampire."

"So he _is_ here!"

"Maybe."

"Come on!" Yuu jumps up from his seat, "Just tell me where he is! I want him!"

She quirks an eyebrow, "You _want_ him?"

"I-I mean for a friend."

"What's your name?"

"Yuuichirou."

"Tell me the truth, Yuuichirou."

"I..uh...I'm interested in spending the rest of my life with him. I think we'd be a good pair."

"The rest of your life?"

"Yeah…"

"Platonically?"

"I could, but I don't think I was looking for a best friend..."

"Does he know?"

"I told him I wouldn't give up on him, I'm not sure how he took it."

"You barely know him."

"I know him well enough!" Yuu counters defensively.

Krul stares at him for a beat longer, "You can't do too much damage, especially if he's not interested."

"He will be!"

"Fine, I'll give you a chance."

"Huh?

"If you want him, you can have him. Just know that should something happen to him, I will come after you."

Yuu chuckles lightly, "Go ahead."

She eyes him silently, "Even if you can't die, eternity is a long time to suffer."

His mouth falls open in shock as he stares back at her with wide eyes.

"I've been around far longer than Mikaela. I know much more." She stands up from her seat, "Who knows? You may be good for him. Follow me."

Yuu follows her out of the building and down several outside passageways until they're in the far east end of her estate, a quieter area with less people than the center. His eyes take in the watercolor paintings and traditional statues on the way, he's impressed, but not surprised. Once he found out Krul was actually the vampire Queen of Japan and arrived on her property, he wouldn't expect any less considering what Mikaela told him about his sire.

She slides open a door, "These are Mikaela's rooms."

"You let him live this far away from you?" Yuu questions curiously.

"Yes."

"I wouldn't." _He's always going to be near me._

One side of her mouth quirks up at the corner, "I'm sure you wouldn't, but I'm not a new demon whose barely keeping control of myself either."

"I'm in control of myself!" He protests with indignation.

"Barely." Krul points to the left, "His bedroom is through there. You want him so bad, there he is."

Yuu sidesteps her and slides open the next door, eyes falling on a blanket covered lump in the middle of the bed with only the top of his blonde head showing. He sucks in a breath, this is it. He's finally going to see who he spent all those weeks in the forest with and right now is the beginning of their future together.

"Mikaela?" The only response is a quick intake of breath which tells him his voice is recognized. "Its Yuu," he states needlessly, taking a seat near the edge of the bed and gently tugging on the covers, "Are you going to talk to me or even _look_ at me?"

"..."

"Still with the silent treatment, huh? Even though I came all this way to find you." Yuu's impatience wins out and he abruptly yanks the blanket down to see big crimson eyes framed by long lashes blinking at him in surprise. He stares back, meeting Mikaela's surprise with his own. _Mine..._ When Mikaela said average, he was clearly being modest because he's beautiful! Wide eyes, smooth creamy skin, waves of blonde hair that he can't wait to run his fingers through, cheeks he already knows he'll enjoy kissing, and fangs poking out through pink lips proving his immortality.

"You look much cleaner."

"Clearly," Yuu mutters without breaking his stare.

Mikaela's surprise quickly morphs into caution as his face shutters and he pulls the blankets back over his head, "Get out."

"H-huh? Wait!" Yuu tugs the blankets down again, "You misunderstood! I wasn't staring because I was freaked out! You're very pretty."

"Isn't he though? It's one of the reasons I saved him. If only his personality matched his face."

"He's fine the way he is."

Krul looks at him curiously, "Hmm, smitten already, are we?"

"Maybe." He looks back at Mikaela who immediately averts his eyes, but it doesn't matter Yuu already saw him staring. "Feel better?"

" _Me?_ You're the one who was like a corpse when I left you at the hospital."

"So that _was_ you!"

"Who _else_ would it have been?"

"Just wanted to make sure, because you were so positive you wouldn't do it, remember?"

"And I'm starting to regret changing my mind already," he mutters, sitting up and crossing his arms.

"Really? Because I'm getting happier by the second," Yuu replies with a wide grin. "I told you I wouldn't give up on you!"

"How _did_ you find me anyway?"

"Well," Yuu answers throwing himself back across Mikaela's cushy bed, "You to-"

"Don't make yourself comfortable on my bed," he interrupts, attempting to poke Yuu off without actually touching him.

Yuu swats his hand away and rolls over into his lap to stare up at him, "As I was saying, you told me Krul was your sire, so from there it didn't take much to find someone to point me in this direction."

"Oh...I thought you were going to die."

"I know or you probably wouldn't have told me half the things you did," he responds, giving Mikaela a meaningful look that he turns away from.

"Probably not," he murmurs.

"Speaking of which!" Yuu turns and pushes himself up onto his knees, "You didn't tell me your sire was a _vampire queen_ , Mika," he teases.

"Mika?"

His eyes flick over to Krul, "Yeah, his nickname. Mikaela is kind of a mouthful." Krul smirks and even he can see how Mikaela's cheeks flush red. It's adorable. He reaches out a hand to trace across the red staining his face and smiles. _Yeah, I definitely made the right decision._

"I didn't ask for it."

"But you still like it."

"Well Mikaela, it's up to you. Do you want him here or not?"

He gives Yuu a scrutinizing look and the wariness is obvious, he can already tell what the answer will be. "No."

 _That won't work._ "Mika, I told you I wanted to stay with you and that I would love you, but if this is what you want, to be alone. I can't change your mind, but first!" He reaches forward with both hands to cup Mikaela's cheeks and pull him forward to place a light kiss on his lips. "A thank you for saving my life!" Yuu grins as crimson eyes widen in shock, he's a little surprised too. Six months ago everything was different and he wouldn't have dreamed of doing that either, but now it's imperative Mikaela gives him a chance. "I'll see you."

"Y-yuu wait!" Mikaela shouts, lunging forward to grab his wrist. "You don't have to go yet…"

Yuu turns back and smiles, intertwining their fingers as crimson eyes flicker back to a brilliant sky blue. This time, the blue he stares into _is_ full of hope and possibility.

~~~~~  
Yuu is very touchy feely. It's not a bad thing, just...unfamiliar. Somehow, no matter what he's wearing, Yuu finds ways to slide fingers against his bare skin, whether it's fingers slipping under his shirt or digging through the layers of his robes. Sometimes it feels like he's searching for something, though for what, he's not sure. What's even more surprising is that Yuu does actually seem to care about him. There's probably an ulterior motive and just because he hasn't found it yet doesn't mean he's let his guard down.

The raven haired male is interesting and no human has taken an interest in him like that for years. It's also weird that Yuu doesn't seem to be afraid of him at all, as if he's not a predator who could snap his neck instantly.

Yuu's always so happy to see him, always with an easy grin for him and and an attempt to kiss him every morning, which sometimes he accepts and sometimes he evades which 9/10 leads to a wrestling match that he has a 50% chance of winning. He's not sure if he's just a weak vampire, which would fit or if Yuu is just insanely strong for a human which wouldn't be surprising either considering how resilient he is.

He's also extremely stubborn. Once Krul had agreed to let him stay, she had assigned him rooms in the North part of the estate, but he had refused to sleep there. Instead, Yuu came crawling into his bed every night, no matter how much he protested. Yuu simply shoved his hands and arguments away, claiming it would be weird to sleep apart now when they had slept next to each other in the forest for weeks. One of the few times, he wished the Japanese style rooms had locks.

Yuu made sense, but the lack of personal space when it came to him took some getting used to. His body barely felt like his own anymore with how close Yuu stuck. Waking up every day with someone wrapped around him was a new experience. When he asked Yuu why he had to sleep so close, he had laughed and told him he didn't trust him enough not to sneak away in the middle of the night.

Krul, for her part, didn't seem to care what Yuu did so long as he wasn't antagonizing the other vampires. Though, Mikaela has the sneaking suspicion she approves of Yuu's presence with him. Ferid makes sure to let him know how amused he is with 'Mikaela's new friend.' Yuu gets funny whenever Ferid gets too close to him. He turns clingier and aggressive. Ferid finds this hilarious and makes it a game to see how far he can push Yuu which pisses him off enough that he usually ends up dragging Mikaela away. They're both infuriating, but while Ferid is vexing, Yuu is gentler, more concerned with getting inside his shell than annoying him.

The other humans are wary of Yuu. They feed him, but they're not interested in befriending him. He doesn't blame them, a human who fraternizes with a vampire, even sleeps in his bed? He'd be suspicious too.

He shouldn't be so tolerant of Yuu, but he's persistent. It's tiring to keep fighting him all the time and sometimes it's nice when Yuu cuddles up to him and strokes his hair as they both get lost in their own thoughts. He can almost believe Yuu is sincere.

He's fallen asleep so many times now with Yuu whispering to him...about how they'll be together forever, how he doesn't have to be sad and alone anymore, and about how happy he'd be if he'd let himself open up amongst other things. It's a nice thought.

The kisses though, he doesn't know how he feels about that. Yuu was his first kiss and his second and every other that he managed to sneak in. He can't bring himself to reciprocate yet, though Yuu is patient and seems content to give without receiving for now.

But, he wants to...he wants to so bad...

"Mikaela!" He glances up, squinting against the bright sunlight, to see Yuu sitting high up in the tree branches, grinning down at him. He'd worry more for his safety if he hadn't already seen Yuu fall numerous times and survive. "Look at me!"

"I see you."

"Come up here with me!"

"Yuu, I'm busy."

"Busy brooding! You think I can't tell by now! I know you're thinking about me!" He teases goodnaturedly.

"I am not!"

"You are! You get that weird look on your face when it has to do with me."

" _What look?_ "

"Nothing."

"Tell me!"

"If you don't know, it's not my place to tell you!"

"Yuu!"

"Come up here and maybe I'll tell." Yuu replies with an easy smile and a beckon of his hands.

Mikaela gives him a sour look.

"I'll wait. You can go. I know you like him."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because you don't care about much, but you watch him a lot."

He glances back at the human child sitting in front of him on the grass and sighs. "I'll be back."

It takes him no more than a few seconds to run over and scale the tree until he's sitting across from Yuu on the branch. "That curious, huh?"

Rather than answer, Mikaela scoots forward to rest his head against Yuu's clavicle. He may not fully trust him, but that doesn't mean he's unaware of what Yuu wants. The quick intake of breath and fingers sliding along his neck tell him he's right. "Fine, you jerk, I'll tell you."

"..."

"When you look at me or think about me, you get this longing look on your face. It's like you want to be with me, but you won't let yourself. It's how I don't get discouraged."

"I do not."

"Yeah you do." He feels Yuu kiss the top of his head and leans away.

"No kisses from liars."

"Not a liar."

"Right," he replies, scooting away. Yuu lunges for him and he over balances in his attempt to avoid Yuu's grip. Yuu's weight hits him and they fall from the tree, hitting the ground in a tangle of limbs. "Yuu!"

"What?! What happened to your vampire reflexes?"

"Kind of hard when you're crushing me!"

"Are you two okay?"

He looks up to see concerned brown eyes peering down at them, "I'm fine."

"I'm fine too since Mika turned us over and took the worst of the fall!"

"Shut _up_ Yuu."

"You _did,_ guess that means you care."

He shoves the dark haired teen aside and resumes his prior position next to the human child. "Here let me help you," he motions for the half finished wreath and begins quickly weaving in the desired flowers.

Yuu presses against him, not even two minutes later, "You're pretty good at that."

"I help him a lot."

"He's not a afraid of you…"

"No."

"Why can't you be that sweet to me?"

"Because...you know why."

"Yeah yeah." He turns to Taichi, "Must be nice to have his attention."

"You get his attention too."

"Do I?"

"Yeah!" He shoots Yuu a grin. "Mikaela likes you!"

Yuu's eyes flick back to him and away. "How can you tell?"

Taichi flashes him a mischievous look before looking back at Yuu, "He makes sure they make your favorite foods in the kitchen."

Yuu's eyes widen, flying back to his and he can feel his cheeks warming. "Seriously!? That's why I like everything they make?"

"Taichi!"

"You do!"

"See if I help you anymore."

"Help?" Yuu questions.

"He only comes over here because the other humans are afraid of me."

"So…?"

"So if I'm talking to him, they won't call him back because they're afraid I'll get angry and attack."

Yuu laughs, "That's dumb. I know you wouldn't do that."

"Yeah and I never have, but they're still scared. So he only comes over when he doesn't want to work."

"Can you blame me?" Taichi questions with a laugh.

"Yes."

"I knew you were even nicer than I thought."

"No one asked you, Yuu."

"Thank you for having them make me strawberry shortcakes," he says sweetly.

"Finished." He plops the wreath back in Taichi's hands.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Yuu pouts at being ignored before grabbing his hands and yanking him up, "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"Somewhere I can show you how happy I am!"

"..."

"I'll take that as a yes!"

"Wait!"

"Nah!" Yuu drags him back towards his bedroom with a grin to match his bright green eyes. "You'll enjoy it, I promise!"

:

:

:

Later, after he's finally separated from Yuu and had enough kisses to last a lifetime plus enough touches to make him blush, he finds Krul in her office, finally free to ask the question on his mind.

"Krul?"

"Where's your boyfriend?"

"Yuu's not my boyfriend," he responds hotly.

"You're looking rather mussed up for someone without a boyfriend."

He scowls and immediately pats down his hair. Yuu really likes running fingers through it. "That's not what I want to talk about."

"What is it?"

"Am I a weak vampire?"

"Emotionally yes, mentally maybe."

"What?"

"You keep your emotions controlled tightly, it's probably unhealthy. You're also susceptible to bouts of anger because you're repressed and not allowing yourself what you really want when it's right in front of you. That's why I let him stay, he can make you happy."

Mikaela wrinkles his nose, "I meant strength wise."

"You're my progeny, of course you're not weak."

"Yuu's a near match for me. Sometimes it's a struggle to win."

"Oh hmm, maybe Yuu's just strong. You should ask him."

"...Do I want to know?"

She sighs, "Mikaela…Yuu has a disease."

His heart clenches painfully at her words, "...What kind?"

"It's an extremely rare illness, he doesn't age and has superhuman strength, but the strain on his body kills him faster. He could die tomorrow or a few years from now."

He's crying before he can stop himself, endless tears that he can't figure out where they're coming from. He tries wiping them away with his hands as fast as possible, but they're overflowing and he crouches to the floor, hiding his face in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. No matter how unlikely it may be, Yuu could have been his one chance at happiness.

"I told you there were feelings for him."

"Leave me alone."

He feels a hand pat his head, "Death is a part of human life, Mikaela. It's always going to be there. Enjoy the time you have with him or you'll regret it." He crouches there until Krul's long gone and his tears finally stop. She's right, Yuu's only human so he should have thought more about the future. He was right in trying to avoid getting attached and now it's too late. Now he knows why Yuu won't live as long as the rest of his family, but he lied. It's them that will outlive him. They should have just died together in the forest.

Mikaela trails his fingers along the wall as he heads back to his rooms, Krul's words heavy on his mind. There really isn't anything he can do, maybe he should have asked more questions before allowing Yuu to stay here, but some part of him wanted everything Yuu was offering whether it was the truth or not. He never thought about the time limit when he could barely get past the present.

Yuu's finishing off dinner when he arrives and quickly moves past him to his bedroom, yanking his hand away when Yuu grabs for him. He knows Yuu hates that, but he hates being lied to. "Are you feeling okay?" Yuu questions when he comes to lay beside him a few minutes later.

"Yeah, are _you_?"

"I'm fine…" Yuu wraps his arms around Mikaela's waist and inhales. "What's wrong?" Yuu asks when he turns and reciprocates the hug tightly. He shakes his head and wills the tears to dry up. "Are you _crying?!_ "

"No."

Yuu attempts to shove him away to get a look at his face, but he refuses to move. "Seriously what did you talk with Krul about?!"

Yuu sighs in exasperation when he doesn't respond before giving up and holding him tighter. It's one of the few times he doesn't let Yuu budge him.

~~~~~  
"Guren, yeah I've been fine. I'm staying with a friend, I told you."

"Yuu, what friend lets you stay for weeks?"

"A good friend."

"You told me it wouldn't take long, but everytime I talk you, it's 'just a little longer.' I think you're lying. You're probably living in a ditch somewhere, feeling sorry for yourself."

"I am not, jerk. Anyway what I called to say before you started accusing me was that I'm coming back tomorrow."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I'll probably leave in the morning and arrive around two."

"Really? Do I need to warn the neighbors about your funk?"

"I'm not living in a ditch! I take baths every night and they feed me well too."

"If you say so."

"I do."

"See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Guren hadn't believed him weeks ago when he'd told him he would be staying with a friend instead of coming home like he said, convinced he was still sulking about being a demon. He's moved past that though, he has a reason to live even if his reason is being a little weird right now.

When he had told Mikaela that he was going home for a visit, all the blonde had said was 'I understand.' What the hell was that supposed to mean? A vague response and then he hadn't seen him in days. Mikaela was clearly avoiding him and doing a good job this time, unlike that night he'd cried. He still never found out what happened and the blonde had gradually warmed back up to him again. There must be a lot of hidden spots he doesn't know about that Mikaela's using, he's not even sleeping in his bed. It's annoyingly frustrating for the blonde to start pulling away now, especially when he had been giving signs that he returned his feelings.

He's leaving tomorrow, he needs to talk to him before he returns to empty rooms because the difficult male had decided to disappear. Fortunately, he actually knows where Mikaela is right now. The bathtub, where he's been for over an hour according to one of the workers.

Yuu turns the doorknob, entering Mikaela's spacious bathroom and his eyes immediately fall on the boy he's been searching for. Damp blonde curls cling to the curve of his neck as Yuu's eyes trace down the upper half of his body until he's pinned by an angry blue glare. "How did _you_ get in here?"

"You didn't exactly lock the door."

"Because it's _my_ bathroom!"

"Blah, blah," Yuu waves a dismissive hand. "What's yours is mine. Haven't you learned that by now?"

Mikaela huffs and sinks under the water until only his hair floats on the surface. Yuu sighs, Mikaela doesn't need to breathe, he'll be down there forever if he doesn't step in. He moves over to the edge and dips his hands under to lift the blonde up by his arms, swiping the wet strands from his forehead and dropping a kiss there. "You're so difficult," Yuu says, not without a lack of affection, followed by the shedding of his clothes as he slips into the deep bath with him.

"Why're you in here? You already bathed," Mikaela pouts.

"Yeah, but they said you've been in here a while, so I figured you were sulking."

"..."

"Cheer up! I'll only be gone a little while. I can't be a selfish human and have them worry, can I?" He flashes a grin in Mikaela's direction and he looks away with pursed lips, flicking a few drops of water in Yuu's direction at having his harsh words thrown back at him. Yuu laughs, "Don't worry, I forgive you!"

"I don't need your forgiveness."

"Come here," Yuu gestures him over and Mikaela hesitates until Yuu pulls him over, splashing water onto the floor. Once he's close, his body easily fits against Yuu's, the back of his head settling into the crook of Yuu's neck as he dances his fingers down Mikaela's arms. Yuu presses another kiss onto the side of his face and smiles, "Now tell me what's really wrong."

"Nothing."

"You won't get another chance to tell me when I leave," he replies, sliding his hands down smooth thighs.

"...Will you really come back?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you're a manipulative human who lies to get what he wants."

"How did I lie? I'm here with you!"

"For now."

"Yes, I'm coming back."

"But what if you die, you can't promise it."

"I lasted months without food or water and made a full recovery. I'm indestructible!"

"But humans are _fragile_ , you could drop dead at any moment!" He insists.

"Be real!"

"I am!"

 _So that's what it's about._ Mikaela doesn't want to be left alone again if he dies. Although, that's kind of good. If Mikaela is starting to rely on him and his presence, then he really is making progress. He intertwines their fingers and lifts Mikaela's hands to kiss the side of his arm, "Wanna come?"

"No."

"Then you'll have to believe me when I say it'll be fine. I'll come back to you."

Yuu kisses him from cheek to mouth and Mikaela wraps arms around his neck, turning around to straddle him and kiss back hungrily. He's long since learned to be careful of Mikaela's fangs, if he so much as pricks himself, their kisses end and the vampire is gone. Eventually it won't matter if he pricks himself, but until then he's cautious.

It's when he feels his lower body starting to stir that he breaks away and lets water flow between them. Yuu knows what _he_ wants, but he's not sure if Mikaela's open to sex yet and pushing him won't end well. "Are you finished bathing?"

"I've been finished."

"Then let's get out before I turn into a prune."

"You go."

"No, you too." He scoops Mikaela's wet body into his arms and stands up, sloshing water everywhere.

"You're making a mess, Yuu," he complains as they head back to the bedroom dripping water along the way.

"Maybe if you'd gotten out yourself instead of sulking for an hour, I wouldn't be." Yuu dumps him on the bed and throws a towel at him before reaching for the blow dryer. "Turn over."

He obliges and Yuu straddles his thighs, flipping on the dryer and carding his fingers through the wet strands as he dries them. He smirks lightly, they've come so far, when he first came Mikaela would never have let him do this or even get in the bath with him and now his presence is almost second nature. Yuu's eyes rake down the relaxed body under him, watching as Mikaela props his head on folded arms and his eyes shut while Yuu dries his hair, smiling lightly when Yuu traces a finger along the pointed tip of his ear.

Since he's not paying attention, it gives Yuu the perfect opportunity to take in the sight of all that creamy bare skin beneath him. _How long will I have to wait?_ How is he supposed to remain chaste when the blonde's perfect ass is right below him just begging to be touched, but he won't because he has a feeling if he does, he won't be sleeping here tonight.

He's not sure what Mikaela thinks about their nudity or if he thinks about it all. This isn't their first time being nude together, though it seems like he's the only one who considers it even remotely sexual. Every time they're in a situation like now, he has to force down the primal urge to push the vampire's legs apart and bury himself inside the male beneath him. It's a deep seated longing in his core to be connected to Mikaela and it's torture pushing it down repeatedly, supressing the instinct to claim what's his.

Hopefully the wait won't be too much longer, he's not sure how long he can keep fighting against what both sides of him ache for.

Yuu switches off the dryer and drops it beside the bed, leaning over to lay beside Mikaela as he turns over onto his back. Yuu pulls the blankets up around them and he can read the sadness in the depths of blue eyes when Mikaela reaches up to touch his cheek. Yuu tilts his head to kiss along his fingertips, "I'll see you soon."

He nods once and shuts his eyes, feigning sleep as Yuu rests his head against his shoulder and falls asleep.

:

:

In the morning, he's up and gone before Mikaela wakes. They said their goodbyes last night, no need to go through it again. He hated seeing how upset the blonde male was. It's easier to slip out and see him again when he returns.

Four hours later, he's sitting at his kitchen table sipping a soda as he waits for Guren to come home. It's nice to be back home even if it's only for a short time. He missed Guren and his friends, his bedroom, even school, everything that used to be his normal. Now it's all changed.

"He actually came home. Surprise, surprise."

"Guren!" He jumps up from the table to squeeze the older male into a hug. "I can't believe I actually missed you!"

"Careful, Yuu! You might crush him with your new strength," a new voice teases.

"Shinya!" He moves over to greet the fair haired male other male, "You've been keeping him company?"

"Of course, he's been lonely all alone here without you!"

"I wasn't lonely. I didn't know if he was coming back and was thinking about whether or not I should plan a funeral for him."

"Ha. Ha. Guren. I told you I was coming back!"

"Yeah, but you were also missing for months," he points out. "Half dead in the forest."

"That was in the past! I'm healthy and strong." Yuu spreads his arms, " _See?_ I'm alive!"

"Did you-"

"Yuu!"

He glances up to see his friends barging through the door for the second time and grins, "Hey!"

Yoichi reaches him first and jumps on him, now that he's no longer connected to an IV, followed by Shinoa, then Mitsuba while Kimizuki stands awkwardly beside them. "Yuu, we missed you!"

"I missed you guys too, Yoichi." _I'm so lucky. "_ No hug from you, Kimizuki?"

"Gross, no."

"He made a cake," Yoichi chimes in. "He got up extra early to make it when he heard you were coming back today."

Yuu's eyes the container in the pink haired boy's hand and smirks, "So you missed me too."

"Not really."

"Right." He squeezes an arm out of their group hug and wiggles his fingers at Kimizuki, "Feel free to join in!"

"Come on Shihou," Yoichi calls.

He huffs before sliding close enough for Yoichi to drag him into the tight group and Yuu lets them squeeze him tighter, he didn't realize just how much he missed everyone until he was right here with them and his life wasn't revolving around Mikaela anymore.

"Yuu, gross! Don't get your tears on me!"

"Then let go Mitsuba!"

"She can't, she's crying too," Shinoa adds in gleefully and then they're all one big crying mess until Guren gets fed up and tells them to wrap it up. By the time they break it up, Shinya has already cut up Kimizuki's cake and is watching them in amusement.

Once they're all settled around the table with plates, Guren gets back to business. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yeah...about that..." He rubs the back of his head, "I actually have to go back."

"What?"

He winces at the looks his friends are giving him and soldiers on, "It wasn't a thing, but a person...a vampire."

"A...vampire?"

"Yeah, I think we'd go well together...for a long time." Understanding washes over the group, mixed with pity.

"Wow, I can't say I expected that. Though I suppose it makes sense, equal life spans and all, but I never thought you'd run off and fall in love with a vampire." Shinoa comments.

"Well...we're not quite there yet."

"...You're not?"

"No, that's why I have to go back. To make sure we do make it there."

"When will we get to meet him? Soon?"

"Probably not...he's not very open. He had a tough life as a human so he's not really friendly…"

"Damaged goods?" Mitsuba quips.

"Don't call him that." Yuu shoots back with a hint of warning that she's surprised by, but recovers from quickly.

"Yuu, no offense, but if you're looking for someone to spend eternity with and apparently you've decided you want a... _vampire,_ why not pick one with less issues? I don't think they're extremely rare since you already seem to know where to look."

"I want _him_ ," he states firmly. _Because he'll give me everything._

"Doesn't seem like he wants you," Mitsuba mutters back.

"We'll work out. I just have to get him to trust me first and he will." Yuu states confidently.

"Does he know you're part demon?" Kimizuki interrupts.

Yuu deflates, "No, we haven't gotten that far yet either."

"Don't you think that's pretty important?"

"Yeah, I'll tell him later after he loves me."

"That's really fucking shady, Yuu."

"It isn't! I just don't want to take any chances."

"Yuu," Guren shakes his head. "I thought I raised you better than that."

"You did! He's not in danger. He's a vampire! What does he have to be afraid of?"

"The fact that you think it's okay to conceal a lie that big until you've gotten what you wanted makes me think I failed."

"I don't know...maybe it's his demon side coming out. Demons don't have the same morals as us, do they?"

They all turn to look at Yuu. "What?" He counters defensively. "I'm still me, just because I'm part demon doesn't mean I stop being myself."

"...Any episodes lately?"

"No! I can take care of myself and I wouldn't dream of hurting Mikaela!"

"Right, you can control yourself? Just like how you found out about what you are now?" Kimizuki questions sarcastically. "Do you even feel any remorse?"

Yuu glares at him before averting his eyes. No, he doesn't feel any remorse for what he did. Maybe the woman deserved it, maybe she didn't. It doesn't matter to him. He did it, he enjoyed it, and now he doesn't feel any guilt about it. She was just a human, she would have died eventually anyway. Just because he no longer feels remorse for something he did months ago doesn't mean he's not himself anymore. The two sides can coexist, they have been so far. "I'm under control."

"Sure you are."

"A-Anyway," Yoichi breaks in to diffuse the tension. "Is Mikaela the vampire's name?"

His mood does a complete 180. "Yes! Mikaela Shindou! He's half russian!"

"Pale with black hair too?" Shinoa smirks.

"Nah, he _is_ pale, but he's got blue eyes and blonde hair!"

"Blue?"

"Well sometimes they're red, I think because he's only been a vampire for a year they switch colors."

"You seem like you really like him," Yoichi comments with a smile.

"I do! It took a little digging, but he's really sweet when he wants to be. He's just sad and doesn't like expressing his feelings all the time. I know he cares though."

"Then if you say he's nice, I can't wait to meet him."

"I want you guys to meet him too, hopefully soon! But, now you see why I have to go back."

"Yeah we get it, so don't stay away. No matter what happens we still care about you too Yuu, so don't forget about us, make sure you come visit even when we're old and grey."

Murmurs of assent follow Yoichi's statement and Yuu nods, "I will guys, I promise. You're all my family and I won't _ever_ forget about you."

~~~~~  
He's agitated and trying his best not to be. Yuu _will_ come back, he promised. Yuu was fine when he left, there's no way he would drop dead in two weeks. He'll visit his family and then he'll come back and they'll be together again, Yuu _promised._ He just has to be patient and wait, Yuu will come back, he has to. The burning dryness is his throat isn't helping either, he hasn't had any blood since he first arrived back here and it's starting to affect him again.

"Mikaela! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes."

"No, you aren't. You're thinking about Yuuichirou. He'll either come back or he won't, dwelling on it won't change anything."

"..."

"Glare at me all you want, that won't change anything either."

"I'm not glaring."

"I'm sending you on a mission. There's a rogue sect of vampires, killing humans up North. I need them wiped out."

"Why do I have to go?"

"Because you're repressing your feelings again and you need something to take your mind off it."

"No, I don't. I'm fine."

"You're not doing anything else and your constant lying about with Yuuichirou wasn't helping your battle skills. If you want to live a long life, you can't rely on strength alone, consider this a good chance to get some practice." He begrudgingly admitted she was right, he hadn't trained at all since Yuu arrived. "You'll be on a small team led by Ferid."

"Krul!"

"Get there, kill them, and return. Keep your temper under control too, you won't be here with me."

"Fine."

"Be ready in thirty minutes."

Mikaela returns to his room to change, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Yes, he's sulking over Yuu, that doesn't mean he needs a distraction. He'd rather lurk around the grounds for two weeks than be under Ferid's thumb having to deal with all his snark, but he's fully aware this isn't an optional assignment.

He arrives a few minutes after the hour, joining the group less than a mile from the grounds, hoping to stay out of sight as Ferid gives them the same break down Krul gave him. It's a band of around ten vampires and all of the lower ranks. They've already been ordered to stop hunting humans and they chose to ignore it, therefore their goal is to leave no survivors.

Mikaela straps into the jet along with the three others picked to go plus Ferid and his second in command, Crowley. The red haired vampire has always been impassive at most to him, but Yuu doesn't seem to care much for him and when he had asked, all Yuu had responded with was that Crowley had no personality or thoughts. To him, it just looks like Crowley doesn't care to interfere with things that don't concern him, a trait he admires.

He doesn't bother to speak to anyone during the ride and they don't try to speak to him, a mutually understood silence. They consider him a petulant child, his seventeen years nothing to those who have lived centuries, tolerated only because he belongs to Krul. Not that it matters, he's not interested in their acceptance either.

They touch down several miles from the city that's being preyed upon and skirt around it to head farther into the rogue vampire's territory. Krul's forces are strong, he doesn't understand why they would purposely draw her attention, knowing she would kill them for putting vampires at risk.

Maybe they're like him and this was intentional suicide. No...he's _nothing_ like them, he wouldn't take human lives, using them as a means to an end.

"Mikaela, pay attention. I'd hate for you to let your guard down and get stabbed."

"I won't."

It doesn't take long to reach the building being used as a base and they spread out quickly, drawing swords in preparation. He takes his place by the back entrance along with one other and they stand poised for Ferid's signal.

Once he whistles, they enter the building in no rush. There's nowhere the vampires can go. The front and back are blocked and there's a guard outside for any that jump out of windows. His partner dashes up the steps, sword already drawn and he rolls his eyes, following before his partner gets killed. They may be stronger, but ten on one is still bad odds.

Approaching the stairs he slices through the vampire holding his partner by the neck and receives a sneer in response. "I was fine."

"Then handle it."

The others approach spreading out along the floor while he moves towards a sound near the back and only just avoids the tip of a sword in his leg. He uses his own weapon to quickly deflect the blow, throws him into the vampire approaching from the side, and wipes them both out with one slash of his sword, all in less than ten seconds.

They really were weak, a mob of humans would have likely been enough to take them out. Six vampires was probably more than they needed to take care of this. He looks down in disgust, all of this is so pointless. They had to know they'd be killed, did they really need to take those humans with them?

"Why are you making that face? You're no better than them."

He turns to look at the brunette vampire beside him, "I never said I was."

"Yet you think of them with disgust while enjoying the company of livestock."

"I can do what I want, the same as you."

"Where _is_ your little human boyfriend?"

"Where he is has nothing to do with you," he replies coldly.

"Maybe he died, a better outcome since you lack the sense to care. It makes us all look bad when you're getting intimate with the livestock."

Faster than he can contain it, a spark of rage ignites inside him at those words and his sword is flashing through the air, slicing the other vampire's head clean from his neck. As the head rolls away spilling blood, he raises his sword over the body's heart for a killing strike when his sword is wrenched from his hands.

He whips around bent on retaliation to see Ferid tossing his sword back to Crowley, "Give that back!"

"I don't believe you can be trusted with it right now."

"It's not your choice!" He lunges past Ferid for Crowley who sidesteps his grip impassively. "Let go!"

"Come now, Mikaela." Ferid chastises, dragging him away by the waist. "Krul would be very upset if you were killed."

"Don't touch me!"

"Yes, he only allows his livestock pet to do that. Though how much longer he'll be able to is a mystery," the headless vampire's comrade comments snidely as he helps to reattach his head. Mikaela yanks Ferid's sword free of its sheath and swings, slicing through the arm holding him and rushing back towards the decapitated vampire and his comrade to finish what he started.

Crowley's on him in a second, breaking his wrist and throwing him over his shoulder. "Normally I'd mind my own business, but I really don't want this on my head." He glances over to where Ferid's reattaching his arm, "I'll leave the clean up to you." He drops the sword to the ground and marches out of the building, running until they're several miles away and dropping him.

" _Why'd you do that?!_ "

"You should be thanking me, you're already going to be in enough trouble when you get back."

"He started it!"

Crowley sighs, "You make it so difficult to forget how young you are."

"What's that mean?"

"It doesn't matter who 'started' it, you sliced off his head and tried to kill him when he didn't touch you. If you think that's going to pass, well...don't."

"But-"

"Don't care and no one else will care that you got upset about livestock either. If anything, it'll make your punishment harsher."

"So, he'll get away with that?"

"Get away with _what_? Calling that human what he is? Of course. You're the only one who cares. Get up."

"Where are we going?"

"Back home, we've finished what we came to do. Enjoy your freedom while you have it, they may choose to ban Yuuichirou from returning."

"No!"

"Let's go."

Mikaela stands and follows after him, not regretting his actions for a second even if they were done in a fit of rage. That other vampire deserved it, Yuu is a better person that he could _ever_ hope to be. The only way he'd care is if they really did force Yuu away, other than that they could do whatever they wanted to him. He'd take whatever punishment they chose.

~~~~~  
The two weeks spent with his family was great, but it went by too fast. They caught him up on everything that had happened since he was gone and it gave him a sense of the normalcy of human life again. Even so, he's not as sad anymore knowing he won't live the same life as them. They'll grow up and go to college and start families while he won't age at all. He could go with them, but what's the point when he has forever? Besides he'd miss Mikaela too much.

Near the end, he'd really started to miss him and his annoyance peaked at the fact that he never got the blonde's cell number so he could have kept in contact. He'd never thought to since they'd been together since he arrived at Krul's. Why use a cell phone when he could talk to him in person?

His fingers idly rub the small bottle in his jacket pocket, a parting gift from Shinoa. 'Just in case,' she'd said. He's grateful, there's nowhere within two hours of the estate he could buy it if he managed to work up the courage anyway. Now he just has to find the perfect chance to use it.

The train pulls smoothly into the station and Yuu grabs his suitcase, follows the few people off the train, and starts the long walk back.

Upon his arrival, he's recognized and they let him in, but Mikaela's nowhere to be found. After dumping his things in the guest room, he searches his bedroom and there's no sign he's been there in days. Feeling his body begin to tense and his heartbeat speed up, he rushes down the hallways to Krul's rooms and slides open the door in a hurry. "Where's Mikaela?!" She motions from him to close the door. "He didn't run away, did he? I told him I was coming back!"

"Close the door, Yuuichirou."

He shuts it impatiently and takes a seat across from her, "Well?"

"He's in isolation."

"What? Why?"

"Punishment."

Yuu lets out a breath, "What did he do?"

"He was doing an assignment for me and another vampire was provoking him, so he sliced off his head and tried to kill him."

"What?! _My Mika_ did that?"

" _Your_ Mika?"

"Yeah, I can't believe he'd do that. He doesn't like to hurt people. Is the other vampire dead?"

"Of course not. Ferid and Crowley stopped him before he could finish him off then reattached his head. Even so, his sire didn't take well to the attack and demanded Mikaela be punished. Hence isolation and no blood."

"You're starving him!"

"It's not like he drinks much anyway."

"Geez, I wasn't gone that long and _this_ happens."

Krul scoffs, "He was only agitated because he was afraid _you_ weren't coming back."

"Oh."

"And he can be a bit of a wild card, if you hadn't figured that out."

"I know, plus he won't tell me what he's thinking most of the time. "

"Yes, so go to him if you want. He's in one of the cells below ground, the entrance is the red door in the North." She slides a key across to him, "The guards will let you in. Do your best to keep him and yourself out of sight. I know he's dying to see you even if he won't admit it."

He nods quickly, taking the key, and racing to the gate. He blames himself for this, he should've insisted Mikaela come with him. What if they had killed him in retaliation? He doesn't even want to think about it. The sharp curl of heat in his stomach guarantees there would have been a slaughter if he had come back to that. He would have done his best to take out every vampire in the vicinity. His family would have been hurt that he never made it back, but it would have been impossible to hold his fury back.

He unlocks the heavy iron door and peers into the darkness, spotting a head of blonde hair huddled near the back wall. "Mika?"

"..."

"Krul told me what happened." Mikaela looks towards him, Yuu opens his arms, and he's inside instantly, pressing tightly against him. Yuu's arms encircle him and press a kiss to the crown of his head, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," he replies quietly.

"Wanna drink?" Yuu feels him tense and tightens his arms. "You can, it's okay. I know you haven't had any blood since I found you. I'd prefer my blood than someone else's anyway. I should be the one to take care of you."

He gently lowers them to the floor until Mikaela's settled between his legs, still holding on tight. Eventually Yuu feels him stir and a faint exhale against his neck before fangs pierce his skin. He lets him, sucking in a breath at the sting of pain, then his body slowly unwinds as it turns to pleasure and his head tilts aside to provide more room.

It feels surprisingly good...and intimate. He's even happier he didn't let that vampire at the blood bank drink from him. There's no pain anymore, just the sensation of floating and the stirrings of arousal with every long drink the vampire takes. His eyes slip shut and a quiet moan slips out at the tingles of pleasure running through his body. Yuu's fingers reach up to bury themselves in blonde strands and he's content to let Mikaela snuggle into him and suck.

The gentle sucking slowly fills with a longing for more and he doesn't realize how close his hand is to his crotch, about to take care of the beginnings of a throb between his legs, until Mikaela's fingers loosen and he pulls away from Yuu's neck after a quick lick to clean up any remains of blood.

His eyes open slowly to see Mikaela staring at him weirdly. "What?"

"That's not supposed to feel good."

"Isn't it?" He questions with a small smirk.

" _No_ ," the other male quickly scoots back until Yuu's arms lock around his waist.

"Be happy it feels good, so I'm more willing to let you do it again."

"I won't need to."

"Uh huh." Yuu stands and yanks Mikaela up with him, "Come on, let's head back. You can tell me all about how you sliced that vampire's head off!"

"Yuu!"

" _What?_! You did!"

After a quick side trip to the bathroom to avoid any unwanted conversations and provide himself some relief, he's joins a freshly bathed Mikaela out in his enclosed garden. It's one of his favorite parts on the estate, with a koi filled pond and neatly trimmed flowers decorating the area. It faces the wall and Mikaela's rooms surround it, so there's no risk of the other vampires seeing that he's out of his cell already. It's always quiet out here, that's probably why Mikaela enjoys it so much, like his own little world.

Yuu drops onto one of couches inside the small pavilion and stretches out until his head is resting in Mikaela's lap, smiling when the blonde's hands unconsciously smooth through his hair and down his face in slow repetitive motions. "What are you thinking about?"

Crimson eyes turn their gaze from the garden to him, "Thinking that this garden is one of the best perks of being a vampire."

"And me! Don't forget me."

"...Right."

Yuu pouts, "Just admit that you love me already!"

A small smile pulls up the corner of his mouth, "Why would I say something like that?"

"Because it'll make me happy?"

"...I don't know if it's true though."

He sits up with a frown and turns to face Mikaela, "You don't know if you love me?"

"I just…" Yuu watches as he grabs a pillow and squeezes anxiously, eyes darting everywhere but in his direction.

"Mika?"

"..."

"Can you at least see yourself spending eternity with me?"

"No."

Yuu sits back and blinks in surprise, "You...can't?"

He clenches the pillow tightly and curls in on himself, "You're going to die way before me."

Wincing, he muses on his next response. He's going to live just as long as Mikaela, but he hasn't told him that yet and he doesn't think now is the best time to reveal it. Knowing their lifespans are equal would reassure Mikaela that he has no plans to die anytime soon, but he's still unsure of how he would react if he found out about his demonic side. _It's still too soon._

So he changes the subject instead, "So tell me how you sliced off his head."

"Yuu! It's not a good thing."

"Uh huh. So why'd you do it?"

Mikaela sighs and looks away, "I didn't like what he said about you."

Yuu lips split into a wide smile, "Defending my honor?"

"Shut up," he huffs.

"Heart of gold."

"H-huh?"

"I _said_ you have a heart of gold. It's buried, but it's there."

"Only when it comes to certain things," he murmurs back with a light flush heating up his cheeks.

"Hmm...like me? Or kids who don't want to do their chores?"

Mikaela smiles, "Yeah only for _kids_ , like the one in front of me."

"Haha." Yuu replies, tugging away the pillow and watching as the vampire's smile widens more to reveal fangs and pearly white teeth. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

"What? I am not."

"You are and I like it the most when you smile. It's okay to be happy."

"...Maybe."

"I'm not gonna force you, but whenever you're ready, I'm right here."

"..."

He suddenly perks up with a thought, "Hey, you can give me a nickname too!" Yuu exclaims, pointing excitedly to himself.

"A nickname," Mikaela questions dubiously. "Don't you already have one of those?"

"Yeah, but not one from you."

"Do you really need a new one?"

"Humor me."

"No."

Yuu ignores him, "Something like 'love of my life' or 'my one and only.' Or _maybe,_ 'the only man i'm living for!'" Mikaela stares back at him blankly. "No?"

"How about Yuu-chan? I think that fits you better."

Yuu pulls back, " _Chan?_ No way!"

"Why not?"

"B-because it's for _kids_!"

"Not always, you want me to love you, right? It's also used as a term of endearment sometimes."

"Yeah, but…"

"And no one else calls you that."

"For good reason!"

"Then it's settled," Mikaela nods in satisfaction. "Yuu-chan it is."

"What? No! Mika, I don't want _that_ one!"

Mikaela laughs, a sound he rarely hears, and Yuu smiles wonderingly before pushing forward to kiss him. His kiss is welcomed and he feels Mikaela's lips move against his as he speaks. "I'm really happy you came back."

Yuu pulls him over into his lap to bury his face in the crook of his neck, "Me too."

~~~~~  
He's doing what Krul advised him to do, enjoying the time he has left with Yuu. It hurts whenever he remembers how limited Yuu's life span is, but Krul was right. Whether it's tomorrow or five years from now, Yuu was always eventually going to die. He's made his peace with it now. Besides Yuu makes him happier than he ever was as a human and he's not going to voluntarily let that go before he has to.

Things have been a lot better since he admitted those things to himself, there's a sense of idyllicism to their days. Day after day spent together with no mention of the future. Yuu's here with him and he's happy, even if Yuu thinks he's insanely clingy now.

"Mika, you know I can't see the TV, right?"

"That's what you have ears for." Yuu sighs loudly and he smiles from his place straddling Yuu's lap. He's purposely blocking the TV, he's not really sure why though. Yuu was just sitting there on the couch watching TV and he'd decided to climb in his lap and bother him.

"I see you're getting to that point."

"What point?"

"The point where you want attention, but won't say it."

He frowns, "I don't want attention."

"Uh huh. Then why haven't you let me watch TV for more than hour anytime these past few days?"

"...It's bad for your eyes."

"I think it's cause I've spoiled you rotten."

"Nevermind then."

Yuu easily flips him over onto his back in a flurry of flailing limbs and smiles down at him, "Happy now? You have my full attention."

"I just wanted to say hi."

"Okay Mika," he replies, fighting back a smirk.

"Seriously!"

"You're too easy to read, watch with me then." Yuu kisses him on the forehead and switches their positions so that he's spooned against Yuu's chest with an arm thrown across him as Yuu focuses back in on the TV.

He glances towards the screen, what's so interesting about this show anyway? It's just some generic comedy, it's not even interesting. He turns to study Yuu instead. The other boy's completely engrossed in the show, eyes never leaving the TV screen as Mikaela studies him. He flinches when a hand is suddenly blocking his view, turning his face back towards the screen. "Yuu-chan."

"I know I'm amazing, but quit staring at me," he jokes.

Mikaela glances back to the screen to see that the comedy has taken an abrupt turn to romance and they're losing clothes on the way towards the bed. He fidgets uncomfortably, eyes flicking away from the screen until Yuu stills him with a hand to his head. "Why are we watching this?" He complains, shaking his hand off.

"You want to watch something else?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

He glances back at the screen when he hears a quiet groan, "Turn it!"

"I didn't know vampires were such prudes."

"Yuu-chan!"

"Fiiine," Yuu reaches for the remote and he relaxes for a split second, the amount of time it takes him to realize Yuu is raising the volume. He gets up and Yuu yanks him back down on the couch. "I thought you wanted to spend time with me?"

"No, I told you I just wanted to say hi!"

"Mika."

"..."

Yuu sighs and switches the channel. "Better?"

"Don't be a jerk."

He hums quietly, eyes roaming over his face, "Mika, how do you feel about sex?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Answer."

"I don't feel anything about it. I've never done it."

"Then why did you want me to turn the channel?"

 _Because it's something you might want that I can't give you and it reminds me of how not human I am._ "It was boring."

"Do you want to?"

"No."

"No?"

"I...just...it's never been something I thought that much about and it's not like I have opportunities now. It's not something I feel like I need to experience, especially not now that I'm a vampire."

"And?"

"And what?"

"What else?"

"There's nothing else."

"Stop lying."

"...I wouldn't want to be that close to another person." _Except maybe you..._

"You're close to me all the time," Yuu points out.

"But, that's different, we're...friends."

Yuu blinks in disbelief, " _Friends?_ "

"Yeah?"

"You don't kiss your friends, Mika."

"I can't explain it! I'm comfortable with you, so I like being close to you." Yuu nods and gets a speculative look in his eyes as he looks past him. Now, he's worried. Did he say something wrong? Is Yuu implying he needs a...lover? Is he unhappy here?! _I don't want to share!_

"...You want to have sex, don't you?"

He looks back down, "I do. But it's not just a want, it's a need." _So I'm holding him back._ His eyes squeeze shut as a wave of sorrow hits him. _I can't give him what he needs…_ Fingers dance lightly over his eyelids, "Mika? What are you thinking?"

"Are you a virgin Yuu?"

"I am, but not for much longer."

"Oh." _Who does he like?_ Mikaela squeezes his pillow and adjusts away. It's probably one of Yuu's friends back home. He's not surprised, from what Yuu has told him, it sounds like they're all close, it's understandable that he'd have those kinds of feelings for one of them. They can give Yuu what he can't. Maybe that's one of his dying wishes, even though he won't be able to live a life with them. Yuu's been with him this long, it's not right to hold him back anymore. Even if he hates the thought, for Yuu's sake, he can be okay with Yuu finding someone else. If that's what Yuu needs, he won't stand in his way.

"Yeah, then my friends won't be able to call me cherry boy anymore after we have sex."

"Which one?"

"Huh?"

He opens his eyes, "Which one of your friends will it be? You all seem pretty close. I'm happy for you," he says with a small smile.

Yuu gives him a weird look, "You. Duh."

"H-huh? _Me?_ "

"Of course. Who else did you think it would be?"

"B-but I'm not...I didn't...I _never_ said…"

The black haired teen's face morphs into a frown, "You didn't have to say it. It was implied. Of course I'm going to have you."

He can't seem to form a coherent response through all the stuttering as his cheeks turn red. He never thought Yuu meant _him._

Yuu's eyes narrow in suspicion, Are you telling me _no_?"

"I'm...I...I don't know," he answers in a small voice.

"Mika?"

He curls in on himself, thoughts racing a mile a minute. More than anything he wishes he was hidden in one of his secret spots on the grounds right now. One Yuu has yet to drag him from.

He didn't think Yuu saw him that way at all. As a companion? Yes. But, not someone he would want to be with in that way. Yuu's a human! Why would he ever think about having sex with a _vampire_?! Mikaela blushes remembering all those times they were naked together. After a while he didn't think too much on it because Yuu didn't seem to find anything weird about it, so gradually he had gotten comfortable too.

There's a burning rush of humiliation in his ears as he realizes those times were probably borderline sexual for Yuu and not as innocent as he'd thought. After all, Yuu had never tried to initiate any of the intimate physical contact he usually did when they were without clothes, besides that one day in the tub before he'd left. Maybe that should have been his biggest hint, but he hadn't thought much on it since Yuu was trying to comfort him. If he'd known the other teen was thinking of him in that way, he definitely would've always made sure to have clothes on around Yuu...and maybe that's why Yuu never mentioned it.

Mikaela groans quietly, ignoring Yuu's attempts to get him to speak. How could he have been so naive? He knew Yuu wanted them to love each other, but sex didn't cross his mind. The other vampires don't appear to do it and he's a different species than Yuu. Even though technically it's possible, _maybe_ , just unheard of.

He's not even sure how he feels about it. On one hand, it means Yuu is really serious about him, but on the other hand, he's nervous. No one's ever expected sex from him and he's never been physically intimate with anyone else. If it has to be someone, he's glad it's Yuu, but he's not sure if he's ready to take that step yet.

Now that he knows Yuu's intentions, it's inevitable. Yuu has taken every other part of him, he was probably just waiting for the perfect opportunity to take the rest.

~~~~~  
Yuu kicks a stray rock as he starts on his third time around the grounds. He's too restless to sleep and he'd found himself pacing the grounds endlessly before deciding to walk off the extra energy, plus it gives him time to think.

Everything has been going well for them, there haven't been any incidents for either of them, nor has he left Mikaela since he returned, but...things are different. Mikaela's been weird since he said he was planning to have sex with him soon. Now he actually locks his bathroom door and there's a tension every time Yuu reaches for him. The lack of intimacy is frustrating. It's like they've gone all the way back to the beginning when Mikaela was hesitant to trust him. All this tells him is that he was right not to bring the subject up sooner.

It's also getting harder to keep his other side under control when he's being constantly denied. Whenever he gets too close and the blonde male panics enough to pull away from him, he has to tamp down the urge to grab him and force him onto his knees. The constant struggle with himself and against his needs is wearing him down. A few days ago, Mikaela had pulled away and he'd snapped at him, regretting it as the words were leaving his mouth and even more so when those cerulean eyes had filled with hurt. He'd tried to apologize, but the other male was gone before he could get a word out, then proceeded to avoid him the rest of the day which hadn't helped any.

By the end of the day he was so wound up, he needed some outlet for his energy, so...he went hunting. One vampire, a few miles from the estate. He'd fought and killed him to take the edge off his frustration and his other side had been pacified for the moment. But, it wouldn't last long if nothing changed. What's Mikaela so afraid of anyway? He's tired of holding back and it's only going to get worse if nothing gives. Mikaela can't keep tiptoeing around him because he's certainly not going to return the favor.

He's about to start his fourth lap when the whispers reach him. Yuu pauses and creeps soundlessly in the direction of the voices, stealth one of the newly acquired traits from his predatory nature. _Now what would vampires have to whisper about?_ He finds them near a small shed and crouches down, straining his ears to listen.

"It makes no sense that Krul allows that human to remain here. He is livestock and should be treated as such. This is _vampire_ territory."

"I agree, the best use of them is blood and it doesn't seem as if Mikaela even bothers to partake of his."

"Krul favors him, so she lets him do as he pleases. He was not forced to stay the entirety of his punishment in the cells."

"He wasn't?"

"No, when that _human_ came back here, he was released."

"Unacceptable."

"There is one obvious solution to taking care of his special treatment."

"Killing the human?"

"Of course. Humans are such weak things, if he were to slip and drown in the river, no one would bat an eye."

"Except Mikaela."

The vampire scoffs, "That pathetic excuse for a vampire? He's easily dispatched of."

"Do you think Krul would idly stand by while her only progeny is killed?"

"She'll have no choice. When he finds out we killed his human, do you really think he'll be rational? No, he'll attack the same as he did on that mission."

"And then she couldn't protect him after he attacked in front of everyone. Her authority only stretches so far."

"Even if she did stop him from attacking us, the human would still be dead so either way it's successful. I doubt he'd last too much longer after the livestock's death anyway."

Yuu steps back quietly, he's heard enough. _Mikaela's mine._ They can say what they like about him, but Mikaela's off limits. You don't mess with what belongs to a demon. He feels his humanity receding, replaced with coldness. No thought on his mind, but the kill. He doesn't bother to stop his detachment, reveling in letting it wash over him.

His fingers wrap around the handle of an axe in the shed and by the time the vampires realize he's there, the axe is already cleaving through the first vampire's torso splitting him in half. He doesn't stop there, using his enhanced speed to round on the second and sever his head. He's well aware this isn't enough to kill them and he begins brutally hacking them to pieces.

Yuu smiles in enjoyment as their blood hits him in the face with every drop of the axe. He's been repressing his nature too long and it's freeing to let out some stress. Although, he should end this soon before someone discovers him, then they might link the last vampire's death to him too.

He reaches for the crushed remains of both hearts and feeds his energy into them, watching as they turn black. Vampires can't heal a demon's cursed energy, they never had a chance. Come morning, the sun will fry them what's left of them and there won't be any witnesses to reveal him. Yuu dusts his hands of the charred remains of the hearts and begins using the shed faucet and his shirt to methodically scrub the blood from the axe before replacing it. He reaches up to brush his hair back and his hand hits something hard. His fingers gently touch against a sharp tip and he sighs, his horns are out. Yuu runs his tongue over his teeth, fangs too. He'll have to calm down first, Mikaela can't see him like this yet.

The first thing to do is get rid of the evidence, Yuu dives into the river to dilute the smell of blood clinging to him and resurfaces near the wall. Keeping carefully out of sight, he moves along the perimeter until he reaches his own personal room. Once there, he quickly changes clothes and bundles his ruined ones under his jacket. He'll dump them when he's far enough away. He's been here long enough to become familiar with the locking mechanism on the gate and no one cares when he exits, although he can't guarantee they'll leave it open or open for him when he returns.

Right now, it doesn't matter, he won't have a chance to worry about anything if he doesn't get rid of the evidence of his kills. It's a long run, but he has to make sure he doesn't endanger their lives by having the killings tracked back to him.

Once he arrives at the city, he dumps his stained clothes into the human trash system, takes a breath, and starts back.

He's covered in sweat when he eventually makes it back sometime in the early hours before dawn, fortunate that no one cared enough to lock the gate after he left. Easier for him to sneak back to his room unnoticed and take a shower before creeping into Mikaela's room.

When he finally crawls back into bed with him, the adrenaline has slowed to a faint buzzing under his skin, but still too much energy for him to sleep.

"Where have you been?" Mikaela questions him, curling into him sleepily and Yuu reciprocates.

"I couldn't sleep so I went for a run outside the grounds."

"Oh," Mikaela inhales deeply against his neck.

"Thirsty?"

"No," he wiggles closer, boundaries forgotten for the moment, but Yuu remembers and coming off the high from his kills...he wants more.

Yuu moves slowly, knowing that any misstep will make Mikaela pull away from him then it'll be forever before he lets him close enough to try this again. And he's not sure he can control himself enough to wait that long, especially with his aching need to be connected to the blonde.

His hands slip under Mikaela's shirt, gently stroking his sides before sliding down his back and pulling him closer. Yuu kisses him gently and Mikaela is slow to respond, a hair's breadth from pushing him away when his hands begin lifting the hem of his shirt. Yuu feels him tense and he breaks the kiss to whisper gentle words of reassurance in his ear as he lifts his shirt off.

"Yuu…"

"I promise it'll be fine."

He feels Mikaela begin to tremble as he drags his shorts down, more self-conscious now that he can read how different the atmosphere between them is.

It's a quick matter to grab the lube he stores in Mikaela's nightstand and cover his fingers. His hand tightens around Mikaela's waist at the first sign of resistance when the first finger penetrates him. He squeezes down and Yuu can read the tension in his body. The tightness goes right to his crotch and he's long past ready for pushes a second and third finger in together, using his knee to spread Mikaela's legs more

He's liberal with the lube, aware that if it hurts too much, the other boy won't accept this and he doesn't want to find out if he'd be able to pull himself back. He tries not to think about it too much, but he knows his dick has gotten inhumanly bigger and thicker since his demon awakening, but only when it's hard, just like his horns and fangs only pop out when he's angry. He's pretty sure a human wouldn't be able to handle it, hell he barely is and he'll always be grateful it's only that size when he's aroused. "Just a little more…" Mikaela's so tight, though it makes sense since he's both a virgin and lacking the need to use this part of his body at all, but _he,_ on the other hand, has a perfect use for it.

"Yuu, I don't…" He begins sitting up and Yuu pushes him back down to the bed with a hand to the chest.

Yuu lets his hand slide down his chest and stomach to wrap around his dick, squeezing lightly in encouragement. "There's nothing to worry about, let me take care of both of us."

Yuu's shirt comes off in one swift movement, followed quickly by his boxers hitting the floor, freeing his lower body to stand thick and ready. He's back on Mikaela a second later, holding his wrists tightly to the bed and forcing his tongue into his mouth to kiss him with all the desire he's been holding back. He's still meeting some resistance, but not enough for him to stop.

He lets go of one wrist to adjust the vampire's hips upwards, then aligns himself before thrusting his hips forward with as much force as he dares and burying the entirety of his length all the way to the base in one sharp movement. His eyes squeeze shut and he groans in pleasure as he slides through the tight slickness, dropping both hands to grab onto Mikaela's spread thighs to keep in place.

Mikaela cries out instantly from the harsh and no doubt painful penetration, the small pained sounds the blonde makes as he begins to move are music to his ears. He instantly loves that noise. The sound of pain a sign of his possession that he's the one drawing those noises out. He's so far inside of him, he can feel himself forcing Mikaela's body to accommodate him much more than should be natural.

His grip tightens as he finds his pace, enjoying the feeling of being connected as he drives into the body in front of him. "Yuu-chan... slow down," he begs quietly, grabbing onto his arms.

"Mmmm."

Slowing down isn't an option now, every slide through that tight cavern only makes him hunger for more and he leans forward to seal their lips back together, pressing Mikaela's own hardness into their stomachs and feeling the head of his own dick nudge Mikaela's through his stomach every time he thrusts in.

The hard slap of flesh on flesh spurs him on and he can feel his climax nearing. Mikaela must realize it too because he's started tensing up subconsciously and his grip on Yuu's arms is tight.

It hits him faster than he anticipated and he gasps out as his body seizes and releases into Mikaela. He groans through his orgasm as the thick warm stream of cum is pumped into the boy beneath him, filling up the space left from his now soft cock. He collapses against the blonde, feeling the the subtance start to leak out and run down his thighs, but ignores it in favor of kissing along the trembling male's cheek. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah…"

He lays there to catch his breath for a second, the buzzing below is skin finally sated after burning off so much energy and in the way he's been wanting to for a while now. It isn't until he's adjusting to pull out, so that the cum will stop running down his thighs that he realizes Mikaela's dick is still hard and digging into his stomach.

"Oh shit!" He sits up quickly, "Sorry!"

"It's fine...that was kind of intense anyway."

"Yeah…" He scoots back a little to slip out and wrap his hand around the blonde's slick member, pulling a quiet gasp from him. Yuu begins stroking him off in long quick motions, thumbing the slit and Mikaela moans out, jerking his hips up to match Yuu's pace. His eyes roam over Mikaela's pleasured face and down his body until his eyes catch onto his wet hole, still exposed from his spread legs, clenching and unclenching as it leaks his own cum out with every jerk of Mikaela's hips.

His breath catches at the erotic sight, watching as more leaks out to join the growing puddle under him. _Fuck…_ There's so much, no wonder it was leaking down his thighs before he even pulled out. The sight goes right back to the source, waking his lower body again as he wonders just how much room he made for himself inside Mikaela.

"Yuu-chan…" Mikaela moans out and his eyes fly back to the blonde's flushed face and he leans over to kiss him as hips jerk upwards and his orgasm paints their stomachs with the white fluid.

Yuu gives him a few seconds to recover before he can't wait anymore, flips him over onto his stomach, and pushes back in, the addition of his own come making it even easier to slide in and out of those soiled walls. "Yuu!"

"Sorry," he murmurs against his neck, "I couldn't hold back anymore."

Yuu runs his hands over the smooth creamy expanse of Mika's back in satisfaction, after this moment, the gorgeous creature beneath him is all his, there's no separating now. His hand trails down to touch Mikaela's stomach where he can feel his dick pushing against it, forming a small bump every time he slides in and he smiles. All of Mikaela is perfectly compatible with him, he couldn't have a made a better choice.

He leans back and braces himself with hands out the blonde's perfectly rounded ass, squeezing and spreading the cheeks apart to get a better view. He watches in fascination as Mikaela continues to take his thickness and length inside him so well, his body offering no resistance by this point. The small sounds of pain have also switched to quiet sounds of pleasure as he rolls his hips back to meet Yuu's thrusts, so he isn't the only one enjoying this now that his body has shifted to fit him and loosened up

Yuu reaches one of his hands into Mikaela' hair and tilts his head back to kiss down the column of his throat and his other hand dances down to his hip, the spot he had unknowingly picked as the perfect spot for marking him. _All mine._ Pure instinct takes over and he tightens his grip on blonde hair before pressing his hand into the crevice of the other male's hip and marking him with a rush of searing heat.

Mikaela screams, but Yuu doesn't let go, continuing to shove into him as his cursed energy makes his claim. "Yuu! Stop! What are you doing?!" He only grunts in response, not bothering to respond, he's too close to completion to worry about anything else right now. His mark is complete and he holds the vampire firm as his hips stutter and he releases into him for the second time.

HIs fingers slide up to touch the small bulge in the blonde's usually flat stomach where his cum is filling him up. In this position, it's harder for it to leak out when the blonde's ass is up and Yuu's dick is still blocking his entrance, so it pushes outward instead.

"Yuu-chan…?" He questions faintly.

"Yes Mika?"

"What…? Why did it burn?"

Ignoring his question, Yuu grasps Mikaela's hand and brings it to his stomach to touch the center. It's now a noticeable bulge, he notes with pleasure, enjoying the fact that there's that much of his sperm inside the vampire. "You did so well! We really are perfect for each other, Mika!"

Mikaela's fingers gingerly touch his stomach before falling away, "Is it supposed to do that?"

"Well...there was a lot, so it's probably fine!"

"Yuu-chan, I'm really tired…"

"That's understandable." Vampires are weak to demon energy, so it makes sense Mikaela's feeling tired. He'll be fine though. He loses consciousness and collapses to the bed, falling off Yuu's dick and causing more semen to leak down the back of his thighs, but not enough for the prominent bulge in his stomach to disappear, now that it's cooled and thickened.

Yuu lays down beside him in satisfaction, fingers grazing over the mark. He's almost positive it won't ever heal, a permanent sign that they'll be together forever, though he's glad Mikaela passed out, he doesn't particularly want to explain anything right now anyway, content to relax now that his needs have been fulfilled.

:

:

The next morning, he wakes first, refreshed and still satisfied, feeling lighter than he was in what seems like forever. He stretches and lifts the blanket, letting his eyes roam over Mikaela's nude form, drinking in everything that's permanently his now. His eyes linger on Mikaela's lower body alternating between staring at the mark burned into the crevice of his hip which brings him an intrinsic sort of pleasure and staring between his legs, wondering if he could get away with going for a second round.

He decides he can, lowering himself back onto the blonde. By the time he awakes, Yuu's already deep inside, bonding them together again.


	3. Eternity

Chapter 3: Eternity

* * *

It doesn't take Krul long to call for him. He's not sure if she knows what's happened or not, but a month later he's standing in front of her waiting to see what she has to say. If they did find out about the vampires he killed, he's not afraid. They deserved it. Although he is a little worried about what it may mean for him and Mikaela.

"Yuuichirou."

"Yeeesss?"

"We found the burned remains of two vampires several weeks ago. We were unsure of who would have the anger to...hack them apart in such a way before letting them die. Then there's also the fact that their hearts were ripped from their bodies. It caused quite a stir, wondering who was depraved enough to go to such lengths. Maybe for their own personal enjoyment?"

"Mika did mention that there had been a few killings, but I didn't think much about it. He just told me not to go out alone at night anymore."

"Did you have something to do with it?"

" _Me?_ "

"Yes, Yuuichirou, _you._ "

"Why would _I_ do something like that?"

"This side of you may be okay, but your _other_ side wouldn't care." Yuu stares back at her steadily without responding, unwilling to incriminate himself and Krul meets his stare levelly, "I think it's time you leave."

"I didn't do anything!"

"We both know that's a lie."

"I'm not leaving here without Mikaela!"

"Take him with you, he should probably leave for a while too."

"You know he won't leave here with me."

"You're a demon who has killed at least _three_ vampires since you've been here. Yes," she cuts him off, "I heard about the one not far from here. You're the only predator nearby, I know that was you too. Do you know what they would do to you both if you're found out?"

" _No one's going to touch him_ ," Yuu snaps out, jerking when he feels something circling his wrist and glancing down to see his pointed tail wrapping around his arm.

Krul looks back at him with thinly veiled annoyance, "Control yourself, since I'm assuming you still haven't been honest with Mikaela."

"I will soon."

"And how long have you been telling yourself that? For someone who supposedly cares so much about him, you're not acting like it."

"I just need to know he won't leave me first."

"Shouldn't that include telling him the truth?"

"It _will."_

"Mikaela spoke with me shortly after your first time together a few weeks back," she states, clicking her nails against the desk. "He had some... _interesting_ questions."

Yuu shuffles uncomfortably, "Yeah...he probably did…" _Demon_ _Marks and Red Eyes..._

"I had to come up with several lies to cover for you. You're lucky he knows of nothing beyond vampires and humans and that our bodies are resilient."

"Thanks? I promise I'll talk to him soon."

"You're also lucky that the people who know that your kind exists do not share information. He's resourceful, he did his research, but there was no information for him to find." _I get it._ She shakes her head before fixing ruby red eyes on him, "Either way, I'd find a way to convince him to leave."

"Fine."

He turns to leave, but Krul's voice stops him, "Your horns are still showing."

"It's not like I can help it, can I?" Yuu stands facing the door, slowly breathing out his annoyance as Krul returns to her work. When his horns and tail finally recede, he opens the door with a sigh. _This isn't going to go well._

Yuu finds Mikaela in one of his usual spots, under the big tree that they'd fallen out of. He's playing a game of Shogi with Taichi, both concentrating intensely on the game, but Mikaela still glances up to give him a quick smile. He'd asked Mikaela to teach him to play once, but quickly lost interest in the complicated rules, then a quick tug of the other boy in his direction and Mikaela had lost interest too. He was surprised at Mikaela's skill in the game until he off handedly mentioned it was one of the few things he used to do in his alone time as a human, although mostly against online opponents.

Dropping onto a bench, he sighs in annoyance. Why did Krul automatically think it was him? He's never stepped a foot out of line in front of her and even if _she_ knew, who's to say the other vampires would connect the deaths back to him. They wouldn't, none of them know anything about demons in human form. He's pretty sure she's overreacting, yet he has no doubt if he doesn't leave first, she'll throw him out, with or without Mikaela.

A small smile forms as he watches Mikaela's fangs tug at his bottom lip while he teaches Taichi the rules. It's endearing how despite it being over a year since he was turned, he hasn't lost all of his human traits yet. Although, he seems to be accepting his life as a vampire more and more. Yuu really hopes he has something to do with that acceptance.

They do a lot of exploring around the area, it's far from any bustling cities and they rarely have to worry about running into people the deeper into the countryside they go. His absolute favorite day was the time they stumbled upon a fast flowing river and he'd had the brilliant idea to jump in and let it carry them to the end. Mika, of course, thought it was a bad idea, but in his same typical fashion, he had run past him to jump in anyway and when Mikaela grabbed for him, he had dodged, leaving Mikaela no choice but to follow after him or get left behind.

The water had been _freezing_ and they were carried along for miles, long enough for him to start thinking maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all. But, surprisingly enough Mikaela hadn't minded when they finally reached the end with no clue where they were. Mikaela had just sighed quietly and kissed the no doubt sheepish grin off his face, before taking his hand and starting the walk back. _That_ was the moment he realized he really did love Mikaela.

It wasn't just about making himself happy and keeping someone with him to spend eternity with anymore, he really did love him. Yuu loved his smiles, his affection, his patience, his fond exasperation, his acceptance. He could've spent endless days like that, but now he'd ruined it by losing his temper.

He smirks when Taichi whines in frustration at losing again, like he stood a chance at beating Mikaela, he never went easy. Taichi stomps away to do his work and Yuu reaches out a hand, "Mika, love, come here."

Mikaela looks over at him before gathering the game pieces and setting them on the bench, then lets Yuu tug him down so he's straddling his lap. "Did you just want a hug?"

"Yep!" He replies, squeezing tight.

"Hmm...now I know there's something else."

"...Let's meet my family."

Just as he expected, Mikaela freezes and pulls back, but Yuu holds on tight. "I don't want to."

"It's been awhile since I've seem them."

"Then _you_ go," he tries to twist away, but Yuu holds firm and he frowns perplexedly at the display of strength like he always does.

 _You shouldn't_ want _to be separated from me anymore._ "I'm not going anywhere without you."

"It'll be fine."

"Like you were so fine last time I left?"

" _One_ time! I was fine before you came to stay here," he argues, crimson eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Krul is here. Taichi is here. I'm not _alone_."

 _You're not safe here._ "Mikaela, you're not staying here."

"You can't force me to go."

"I won't have to. You know," he starts in a softer voice, "they can be your family too."

"I don't _want_ a walking dead family," he snaps. Yuu's hands loosen in surprise and he uses the advantage to slip away and disappear inside.

 _I knew that wasn't going to go over well._

But true to his word, he doesn't force Mikaela to reconsider. They're too tightly intertwined by now. He wasn't joking when he said the other boy was spoiled, Yuu has what he wants and he has no doubt the blonde will come back on his own. Mikaela doesn't like to leave things unresolved or to have negative feelings between them.

It doesn't take more than a few days of Yuu keeping the other boy at a distance, sleeping in his own bed, and just giving him space to think before he caves. Mikaela's been deprived of affection most of his life and going back to living that way without a single touch is more than he can endure. Not to mention, Mikaela cares too much to let things continue that way for long.

His frustration simmers right below the surface most of those days and one offhand comment from Yuu is all it takes to set him off. He attacks, human fragility long forgotten as they hit the ground, Yuu reacts instantly, shoving him off and getting a knee into his back.

He can see the red flush to the vampire's face and the way his crimson eyes narrow, a sign that it's going to be a full blown fight until one of them gives up. _It won't be me._

Mikaela grabs his arms and flips him to the side, he barely has a chance to catch his breath before the other male is bearing down on him. He has to be careful not to hurt him while still holding his ground, even if the blonde did attack first.

He's managed to get Mikaela off of him and pinned by the neck, staring into angry red eyes when another voice cuts in, "I thought you two loved each other."

They both glance over in surprise. He wasn't aware they had an audience. " _I_ do, but I'm starting to feel it's one sided."

"Shut up, Yuu."

"Mom says if you love each other, you should work it out."

He looks down to Mikaela who glares over his shoulder, "Mika?"

" _What_?"

"You love me, don't you?"

"..."

"It's kind of hard to tell when you'd rather stay alone than come with me and when you attack me for talking to you."

"That's not what happened!"

"Still…" Yuu pulls his hand away and leans back, allowing Mikaela to sit up. "This is making me sad. I don't want to fight with you." He looks at him imploringly, " _Please_ Mika, just come with me?"

"..."

"Why won't you come? I know you don't like it here that much."

"I think...you belong with your family and I belong with the vampires. The two shouldn't mix."

"But, you're _both_ my family and I want you to meet. You've been separate long enough."

"It's just…" Mikaela shakes his head resignedly, "Fine. I'll go tell Krul."

"He still looks a little upset," Taichi comments as Mikaela leaves.

"It'll be fine, I'll cuddle up to him later." He smiles, "Thanks Taichi!"

Taichi grins back at him, "Don't forget to bring me back some treats."

"Promise, I won't!"

Two days later, a reluctant and still quiet Mikaela is driving him back to Guren's. He'd called ahead and told them Mikaela was coming too, but he has no idea how they'll react to a vampire in their presence, even one he vouches for wholeheartedly. Initially Mikaela had still been annoyed about coming, but Yuu's pleased to see he seems to have accepted it now. Which is for the best considering he doesn't know how long they'll be here.

"Your car's cool," Yuu chats idly as the scenery flashes by at a dizzying pace. He'd worry more about the speed if Mikaela didn't have vampire reflexes and if they weren't both pretty much guaranteed to walk away from any car accident fairly unscathed.

"Thanks. It was a gift from Krul."

"Huh, she sets a high standard for me." Mika glances at him with a tilt to his head. "Well, eventually I'm going to be the one taking care of you, not her."

Mika gives him a look of disbelief, "Yuu-chan, be serious."

"I am. You have to leave the nest sometime and it's already decided that you'll be with me."

"Oh yeah? Decided by who?"

"Decided by me after our time in the forest and decided by you," he pauses to shoot Mika a mischievous grin, "after you accepted me inside you."

"Y-Yuu-chan, I, oh my god."

He sits back laughing, watching Mikaela's face flush red. You'd think with as many times as they'd made love by now, he wouldn't be embarrassed by the thought anymore, but apparently not. Although, he freely gives his body now, a good thing for Yuu since his libido is near insatiable and his stamina has kept Mikaela up many a night. Yet, he's never complained once and for the most part he tries not to go too hard on the other boy even if he does heal fast. "Oh hey, turn there!" He points excitedly, "That's the street to my house!"

"Wonderful."

"Aw, don't be like that, Mika! It'll be fine, I swear."

"Says you," he mutters lowly.

"Stop here!" Yuu yells excitedly, grabbing Mikaela's hand and gesturing towards the white two story house they're approaching. "This is it!"

He's practically vibrating with excitement as Mikaela pulls into the driveway. Mikaela, his friends, and Guren, everything he wants in one place. He can't wait for them to meet. Yuu's halfway to the front door when he realizes Mikaela isn't behind him anymore.

"What are you doing?" Yuu questions, glancing back to see the blonde still buckled in the driver's seat, watching him dispassionately. "Come on!"

"I'm staying in the car."

"What? No you're not."

"Actually you're right, I'm not. I'm dropping you off and going to a hotel."

A beat of silence passes between them before Yuu's eyes narrow. _I'm not dealing with this, you're keeping your word._ Without responding, he walks around, reaches over, and unbuckles Mikaela before dragging his struggling form from the car by the waist.

"Yuu!"

"Nuh uh, let's go."

"Why are you so inhumanly strong?! Stop!"

"Is this how you want to meet my family? Me dragging you in?"

"I don't want to meet them at all!"

"What if something happens and you're not around to protect me? Huh, what then?"

"You're not gonna break!"

"Oh, _now_ you think that." Yuu counters with a roll of his eyes, fingers digging in when they hear someone approach.

"Hello!"

Yuu grins over at the shorter brunette male, he's not surprised Yoichi was the first one out. He was the most excited to meet Mikaela after all. "Hey Yoichi!"

"You must be Mikaela! Yuu's told us all about you." Yoichi steps forward and Yuu gives a quick shake of his head, he's positive Mikaela wouldn't hurt Yoichi, but a hug is the last thing he wants right now.

"Yeah this is Mikaela, he's just a little grouchy right now."

"Ah, then do I at least get a hug from you?"

He glances down to where his hands are holding a tense Mikaela in place, "Maybe once we get inside."

"Right. You're very pretty," Yoichi begins conversationally as he leads the two of them towards the house. "Even prettier than Yuu said and he talks about you a lot."

"I told you so," Yuu grins, letting go of the blonde's waist to grab his hand instead, "A very pretty sulky Russian." His grin widens at the daggers he feels Mikaela glaring into the side of his head. Serves him right.

They enter the house together with Yoichi in front and everyone looks to them as one. It's clear they were all watching from the window not long ago.

"Guys, this is Mikaela!" Yoichi introduces, then points around the room, naming everyone off in turn.

"Nice to meet you," Mikaela murmurs with a slight bow.

"Have a seat, Mikaela." Guren encourages, "I'm sure we all have a lot of questions about the boy who stole Yuu away."

"..."

"Guren!"

"What? We do?"

"You didn't have to phrase it like that!"

"It's fine, Yuu-chan," Mikaela interrupts, taking a seat in the armchair. "He has a point."

"No, he _doesn't_ ," Yuu argues back, shooting Guren a dirty look "Scoot over."

"You won't fit, go sit somewhere else."

"Yes I will. You're not that big."

"It's a one seater, go sit with _your family._ "

" _No,"_ Yuu responds, nudging Mikaela over and squeezing in next to him. "Guren was kidding."

"Was I?"

"Yeah, you were because it was _my_ choice."

"Anyway," Yoichi cuts in, "How have you put up with Yuu this long? He hasn't driven you crazy yet?"

"Hey!"

"From what he says, you guys are together _all_ the time."

A small smile pulls up the corner of Mikaela's mouth, "It's only sometimes he gets to be too much."

"Rude! I never think _you're_ too much and that's saying a lot!"

"Hush Yuu!" Shinoa reprimands. "We're talking to Mikaela now, we already know what you think."

He sits back with an annoyed grunt, placing a possessive hand on Mika's leg, and listens as they ask the other boy question after question which surprisingly enough he answers, even if his responses are short. Yuu takes in his tense posture and squeezes his thigh reassuringly, giving him an encouraging smile when he glances over.

If he could just get Mikaela to accept his family, it would be so much better. Then, they could stay here and he wouldn't insist on going back to Krul. He knows Guren wouldn't care if they stayed, would probably even prefer it so he could keep an eye on him, but Mikaela hasn't relaxed a bit since they've been here. His body is still as rigid as when they pulled up.

"I'll help you!"

Yuu startles, blinking back into the conversation when Mikaela is suddenly gone from beneath his hand and halfway across the living room catching up to Kimizuki. "What?"

"We're going outside, Yuu." Yoichi explains, leading him outside. "Mikaela went to help Kimizuki bring the food. I think he just wanted to get away from our questions though."

"Food?"

"You didn't expect us to starve this whole time, did you? What a terrible host!"

Yuu rolls his eyes at the purple haired girl, "You're not guests, you're here all the time."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't serve us! We deserve food for dealing with your presence all these years!"

"Go home then!" Yuu retorts with a finger pointed towards the street.

"Guys, I," Yoichi begins before missing a step on the deck and almost tumbling down the stairs. Mikaela's there in a flash with a serving bowl in one hand and Yoichi's arm in the other. Yoichi blinks at him in surprise before smiling warmly, "Thanks Mikaela!"

"You're...welcome," he replies tightly, releasing Yoichi's arm and setting down the bowl. "Sorry for grabbing you so suddenly."

"It's no problem."

Yuu grins at the sight of an awkward Mikaela and wraps him in a hug, happy to see that there's _some_ positive feelings between his two families. " _See_ , you care," he whispers into his ear.

"Get off," Mikaela complains, shrugging Yuu off. "I never said I didn't."

"You didn't want to come," Yuu murmurs back, sneaking several kisses to his neck, before reluctantly letting Mikaela squirm out of his hold. "What are you so embarrassed for? I give you more kisses than that on a daily basis."

"Yeah, but…"

Yuu looks from his pink face to the others watching them in curiosity, "They don't care, Mika."

"It really is fine, Mikaela." Yoichi smiles at him, "We like seeing Yuu happy and you make him happy." He gently wraps fingers around his wrists and tugs him forward. "Come on, you can show me how to play Shogi, Yuu says you're really good!."

Yuu takes a seat with his family as his eyes trace over Mikaela being reluctantly dragged away by Yoichi and he smiles. He knew his family would accept Mikaela the same way he has.

"You seem happy."

His eyes flick over to Mitsuba, "Yeah I am, and I'll be happier when he's always focused on me." He keeps an eye on them as Yoichi tries to get Mikaela to cooperate, in case he embarasses him to the point that he withdraws. That might annoy him enough to smack Yoichi.

"He's not now?"

"No." Yuu shakes his head, "He didn't think twice about staying and letting me come here alone."

"Even after all this time?"

"Yeah...I mean I know he loves me, but he just refuses to keep me as close as I want him to."

"It's not bad that he gives you space."

"Yeah, I _know_ that, Mitsuba, but if he doesn't try to keep me with him, what will keep him from leaving?"

"I guess you'll just have to trust him, if you know he loves you, believe he'll stay with you."

Yuu mulls over her words momentarily, "Nope, not good enough." _I'll be alive for centuries…_

"Either way," she sighs, "You can't force his feelings."

"I know. I'm just...waiting."

"Impatiently."

"Not with him."

Mitsuba gives him a pat on the shoulder before reaching for a rice ball. "Don't worry, I'm sure, it'll work out. You have forever."

He nods, gaze drifting over towards the skyline, "Forever."

:

:

:

"I'm going to bed." Mikaela states sometime later that night. He's not surprised, this is the most interacting the vampire has done since he's known him.

"Tired?"

"Mentally exhausted."

"Okay, I'm coming."

"No," he raises a hand, "Stay with your family."

"I'm coming."

"Yuu, we don't see you much anymore. Stay," Yoichi protests.

"You saw me for four years!" He retorts, turning back to find the other boy gone. He looks back towards Yoichi with an accusatory pout.

"You know," Guren begins, "You _can_ stay away from him for more than a minute, Yuu."

"I don't like to let him out of my sight."

Guren looks him over speculatively, "You're pretty possessive."

"So?"

" _So?_ "

"So _what?_ He's mine, I can be as possessive as I want." Guren exchanges a look with Shinya as the rest of his friends shift uncomfortably. "What?"

"Do you _actually_ love him or do you just want to own him?" Shinoa asks bluntly.

"Why can't it be both?"

"It doesn't work that way."

"Maybe not for _you_ , but I have two sides. Sometimes they want things in different ways, but both sides agree on him."

"Have you told him yet?"

" _Why does everyone keep asking that?!_ No! I haven't gotten around it, I'll tell him eventually!"

"But Yuu," Yoichi inserts quietly. "If you wait a long time and he doesn't accept it, won't you hurt yourself more?"

"That won't happen."

"If you trust him so much, then _tell him_ ," Mitsuba counters.

"So, how about a round of cards?" Yuu suggests, ignoring her words and shuffling a deck.

It's not that he doesn't believe Mikaela won't accept him, but there's always that small fear in the back of his mind about being alone. If Mikaela leaves him, when his family dies, he'll have no one. He doesn't want to lie, but he's not ready to face the aftermath of rejection on the small chance that he's wrong. Mikaela will understand.

It's nearing eleven o'clock when finally Yuu slips into bed and wraps his arms around Mikaela, tugging him over and kissing him awake. "They're not so bad, are they?" Yuu questions once he wakes up enough to kiss him back, albeit somewhat slowly.

"No."

" _See?_ I told you it'd be fine!"

"Yeah, I'm tired," he responds, loosening Yuu's hands and pulling away slightly.

Yuu feels that same curl of annoyance he always gets whenever Mikaela would pull away starting up again. He always hates it because one, he doesn't want Mikaela to _want_ to pull away from him and two, it stirs his inner demon and makes him to want to force himself onto the other boy to keep him under control. He wouldn't ever do it, but he hates that he gets those feelings.

"Fine then, go to sleep," he mutters back crossly.

"I can't, you're squeezing too tight."

"Too bad."

He huffs and turns away, "Fine."

"What's wrong with you? You're not usually like this anymore."

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

"I'm just tired. I'll feel better in the morning, night."

Yuu abruptly flips him around so they're eye to eye and hikes one of Mikaela's legs over his hip, "Now tell me whats wrong."

"Nothing!"

"Mika!" He flinches at Yuu's outburst and the fingers tightening into the soft flesh of his thigh. Yuu sighs apologetically and loosens his grip. "Mikaela if we're going to be together forever, you have to be honest with me. "No lying, if something's wrong, you _have_ to let me know."

"….."

" _Tell me._ "

"It's just...I want you to stay with me forever and _I_ want to be the person most important to you. I'm happy with you and I _do_ love you, but then I see with you with them and I realize it's so selfish of me to have let you stay with me this long and to want that. I should be happy you're with me now and you shouldn't let me keep you from living your life with your family."

Yuu grins in relief, he was actually getting worried there for a second that maybe being here was pushing Mikaela away. Fortunately, it's the opposite. "I don't mind being away from them and they understand too. It's okay to be selfish sometimes." Yuu stares in the eye, "You _are_ the most important person to me and when they die, I'll be all yours."

Mikaela blinks back at him in startled surprise, "Promise?"

He leans forward to place a kiss on the blonde's lips, "Promise."

~~~~~  
Mikaela blinks in the bright sunlight and adjusts his UV-protective armband, sighing from his position crouched next to a tree in Yuu's backyard. It's a particularly bright day, though his armband keeps him from being too uncomfortable. He could go inside, but Yuu's family has been there since morning and he needed some time away.

They weren't unaccepting of him, but there were so many of them and they were so talkative. Yuu by himself is chatty enough, but add all of them together for hours on end and it was enough to make him go a little crazy. Between their numerous questions and the teasing every time Yuu touched him...well the sun seemed far more appealing.

He's not sure how much longer he has out here before Yuu figures out he's not in the house. With the excuse that he wanted to check in with Krul, he'd slipped away upstairs then promptly snuck out the window, landing nimbly and hiding out of sight. The only thing that kept him here is knowing how upset Yuu would be with him if he actually left the house.

Besides, whenever Yuu would have eventually dragged him back here, he would have to face his family again with them knowing he ran away and that he could also do without. They really weren't bad and he doesn't hate that he met them, but...being here hasn't alleviated his guilt in any way.

That was the main reason he hadn't wanted to visit them. Being face to face with the people he was taking Yuu from made those vague shadows in the back of his mind real. Yuu has a family full of people he loves here and every day that Yuu spent with him was a day away from his family. It's unfair to them to say the least, especially considering the uncertain timeline of Yuu's life.

Seeing them all together interacting similar to people who have known each other for years was like a stab in heart at his own selfish desire to have Yuu stay with even feel that way was wrong and every moment weighed on him guiltily, he could never fill Yuu's heart like all of them could. _I'm selfish and greedy, he deserves better. Yuu isn't mine and it was terrible of me to have him make me that promise._

He stiffens as he hears Yuu's rapidly approaching footsteps and then arms are wrapping around his shoulders as Yuu's weight settles against his back. "You snuck out," Yuu murmurs into his hair without accusation.

"I needed some space."

"From me?" Yuu questions lightly, but he can feel the subtle tightening of Yuu's arms around him.

"No, there's just a lot of people in there."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"You're brooding."

I'm _thinking_."

"About?"

"Things."

"Yesterday night?" He tenses briefly, but Yuu's too close and attuned to him to miss the movement. "That's a yes."

"How'd you know?"

The raven haired male kisses his cheek, "I make it my business to know. We spend a lot of time together."

"...I hate being this selfish."

"It's okay to be selfish."

"It's not!"

"It is. I'm selfish too."

"You aren't! You're loving and open and happy to share. You're warm and welcoming, the complete opposite!"

"Believe me, I'm selfish too, but it makes me happy you think I'm not. And I know you and love you for you." He turns to eye Yuu silently before leaning in to kiss him and Yuu grins happily, "That's much better! I didn't think you would kiss me again until we were back home."

"Home…"

"Hmm?"

"This is your home."

"My home is with you."

"Yuu-chan…"

"I'm serious," he insists. "They'll always be my family and I'll always have a place here, but I don't plan on leaving you so unless you want to move here too, home is with you."

He can read the sincerity in Yuu's eyes and he feels even guiltier, he's taking Yuu from the family that loves him, but mixed with it, he also feels a pleasant warmth of happiness at knowing he has a place by Yuu's side no matter what.

"Apple cheeks."

"H-Huh?"

Yuu drops in front of him to cup his face, "Your cheeks are red, but I know you're happy."

"But-"

"I won't change my mind no matter how much you argue."

"..."

"So just let me love you."

Mikaela frowns, but nods, knowing that Yuu won't be reasoned with and really, he's tired of feeling guilty about what he wants too. So, maybe, just for now he'll pretend that Yuu's decision is right.

:

:

:

After a while, they settle into a routine. Guren insists that if Yuu's home, he needs to be back in school and since Mikaela going is out of the question, Yuu is wholeheartedly against the idea. However, Guren refuses to budge and Yuu's only choice is to listen or leave and he's clearly not ready for the latter, so he accepts. He's not happy about it, but he goes.

So while Yuu and his friends are in school, he explores the city and Yuu messages him relentlessly until they're back together. He's also had to become more comfortable with public displays of affection because they're rarely ever alone and Yuu is still affectionate. Either Guren, Shinya, or one of Yuu's friends is always around. His only alone time is when he's exploring and even then he's surrounded by people. It makes him miss the peace of Krul's property.

Yuu seems so happy here though, he doesn't have the heart to ask when they can leave. So, he adjusts and lets the weeks drag by surrounded by humans all the time, their energy, emotions, warmth, movements, and worst of all _their smell._ Most days he can't wait for the silence of nighttime.

That's what he's doing now, curled up in Yuu's bed enjoying the rare moment of peace before the house is full again. The other boy is downstairs eating dinner, an entire pizza. Yuu typically seems to have a fast metabolism, but the amount of food he's eaten since this morning is a lot even for him. Every time he turned around, Yuu was snacking on something else, chips, fruit, anything he could get his hands on. Weird, but not overly suspicious.

He stares back warily, tightening the blanket around him when Yuu appears in the doorway with a wide grin and an impish look in his eyes.

"What's that look for?"

"What's _that_ look for? You look like you're up to something."

"I'm hurt, I'm just happy to see you."

"..."

"Going to bed already?"

"Yes."

"Don't you want to talk?"

"Not really."

"Mika."

"Yuu-chan."

He drops onto the bed next to him, "Thank you for staying here with me."

"It's fine, you wanted to."

"That's right, _I_ did, you didn't."

"You probably didn't want to stay with Krul as long as you did either."

"That's...true." He pauses for a moment, then looks back at him with that same grin for earlier. "We've been here a while. Thirsty?"

 _Ah so_ that's _what it is._ "No, I'm fine."

Yuu removes his shirt, "They're all gone."

"I'm really not thirsty," he replies, even as the column of Yuu's throat makes his own feel like a desert.

"You sure, this might be the last time we're alone for a while." Yuu catches his brief hesitation and straddles his lap with a smile, "Yeah, I thought so. Drink."

He sighs and inhales the delectable scent from Yuu's neck, he wins, like usual. His fangs pierce the tender skin and the first drop is heavenly as always. Yuu's blood is warm and thicker than any he's had before, heady and flavorful with a distinctive undercurrent that's familiar by now, but he can never place the mysterious taste.

" _Fuck_ Mika…" Even thirstier than he'd anticipated, he drink and drinks, wedging his head into the crook of Yuu's neck to force as much of that intoxicating liquid into his mouth as possible. He resists when the fingers in his hair begin gently coaxing him away, sinking fangs in deeper and swallowing faster until Yuu pulls a little firmer. Annoyed crimson eyes glare at Yuu before he leans back in, only the other male's firm hold gently tugging him away keeps him from drinking more. "I ate a lot, but this is why you shouldn't starve yourself, you're about to bleed me dry."

 _So this is why he was eating so much._ Mikaela frowns and sits back, letting Yuu kiss him. He wasn't finished feeding, but then again it always feels like he can keep going whenever Yuu lets him drink that much.

"Don't be upset, you can drink again tomorrow. Let me recover a little." His eyes follow Yuu's hands as they move to his jeans, already knowing what he'll see. He's not disappointed when Yuu deftly unbuttons them and groans as his dick springs free from the restraining fabric, thick, flushed, and ready for release.

His stomach clenches at the thought, knowing how hot and hard it feels when Yuu's pushing inside and spreading him apart. It's not the first or the second time they've had sex. Yuu enjoys sex, _a lot_ and after their first time together, it's become a frequent thing. His eyes have never flashed red since the first time, nor has Yuu burned him again, although sometimes he's still a little wary. He never got an actual explanation for the mark on his hip and Krul didn't have an answer either.

Still, he's not scared like the first time anymore, that was a new level of intimacy that he had never experienced before and Yuu hadn't exactly taken his time or gone easy in his heightened state of arousal, but after being with him so many times now, it's become familiar.

Yuu's already pushed his own jeans down to his ankles and he lifts his hips so Yuu can impatiently tug his shorts off. Yuu's less meticulous about prepping now and it's always a quick process, though fortunately his body handles it well and a minute later they've switched positions and he's lowering himself onto Yuu's shaft, wincing slightly at the long penetration before he's seated against Yuu's thighs.

Yuu's kindly giving him a chance to adjust, unlike the first time and he's grateful. He doesn't have much to compare it to, but he's almost positive Yuu's abnormally long and thick when he's hard and whenever Yuu's inside him, he takes up all the available space and then some, forcing his walls to widen to accommodate the thickness and even then he can still see the head pushing against his stomach. He bites down on his lip as Yuu grabs him by the ass and begins encouraging him to move. He lifts up slowly, feeling the pressure inside lessen before Yuu's slamming back into him and he gasps out, clenching tightly as Yuu's eyes remain fixed on his face.

A quiet nose escapes him, the first thrust is always the hardest to take. His eyes glance down to his stomach to see the small bump moving up and down inside of him as he begins to match his pace to Yuu's. "Mika." He looks up to meet Yuu's eyes, "Look at me."

"If you...insist," he gasps out through his movements. Mikaela leans forward to kiss him and Yuu eagerly parts his lips, tightening his grip on his backside as their kiss intensifies.

Yuu breaks the kiss, "I want to go deeper."

"I think...mm...you're plenty deep."

"It's been a while, deeper!"

He rolls his eyes and allows Yuu to lay him on his side with one leg over his shoulder. Even as Yuu relentlessly pushes into him over and over again, he can feel Yuu's love for him in every delicate caress of Yuu's hands along his skin. The way Yuu's hands trail lightly up his chest and the numerous kisses down his neck and onto his collar bone. Yuu may be eager, but he never takes without giving back the affection Mikaela so desperately loves. He takes Mika's length into his hand and strokes, never forgetting his needs unlike the first time.

It _has_ been a while for them, so he can almost guarantee Yuu won't last long. His eyes are locked onto those green orbs so he can see the minute Yuu's climax hits him and the familiar sensation of being full of Yuu triggers his own. It didn't used to be like that, but the more they had sex, the more pleasurable it became. Now when Yuu comes, the sensation of being touched and the enjoyment of being filled causes his own climax half the time.

Yuu cuddles up behind him without pulling out and reaches around to make sure he's also reached his release. Satisfied, his fingers trail up to where the familiar bulge has formed. "I love when that happens."

It was weird at first, seeing his stomach expand because of Yuu, but now it's just another aspect of sex together and it always leaks out afterwards. Although, why Yuu comes so much is still a mystery to him, he'd looked it up once and Yuu does come an abnormal amount, but since it doesn't hurt either of them, he never brought up the subject. "Why is that?"

"I like knowing that it's because of me and that you're holding my come inside of you."

"You're so weird. Is that why you never pull out right away?"

"Yep!" Yuu answers happily. "And it's not _weird_ , it just means you're _mine_ and some of me's still inside you."

"Sounds like you'd want me to have your child."

Yuu jerks back, "That is _not_ what I said at all. Even if that _was_ possible, I wouldn't want that. I told you I'm selfish too, _I don't like to share._ "

Mikaela laughs, "Calm down, Yuu-chan, I'm just joking."

"Well, I'm not," he mutters back.

"Alright 'selfish' go to sleep, so we can clean up before your dad gets back."

"He won't be back until tomorrow morning, but _fine_ ," Yuu responds, spooning further against him. "Even though I'm not tired."

"Uh huh."

A few minutes later, Yuu is breathing deeply against his neck and he stifles his laugh, so much for not being tired.

:

:

:

"Mikaela? Mikaela, are you listening to me?"

"Yes."

"I understand this is hard for you, but it's time to end this farce."

"It's not a farce."

"Yes, it is. Pretending you two have forever together won't make it true. Yuu has a few weeks left at most, don't keep him from his family in his final days."

" _I'm his family now too."_

"Mikaela. You are his lover, his companion, whatever you want to call it, but you did not grow up with him. Don't take the last of his time from those who love him."

"But, I love him _too_ ," he protests, voice cracking on the last word.

"You've had five years, do the right thing. You're always welcome here."

She hangs up with a beep and he squeezes the phone in frustration over Krul's words, letting go when the metal casing begins to protest.

He looks around their one bedroom apartment, at the life they've built together, at _their home._ Their apartment isn't big, but it's the perfect size for the two of them, full of the various knick-knacks they gathered over their travels in the past few years.

They'd ended up getting this apartment shortly after leaving Guren's. Yuu never wanted to stay long at Krul's and he didn't want to live with Guren, constantly surrounded by the reminder of Yuu's human family. He had tried his best to hide it, but Yuu could always tell. It's hard to hide things when Yuu is always right under him, pressing close, able to feel every coil of tension. So, it only made sense for them to get an apartment together separate from both sides.

Although, they don't spend all their time here. Yuu's restless and always wanting to move for his random bouts of wanderlust, leading them to travel often. But, afterwards it's always nice to come back to their own personal home. Even if it won't be theirs for much longer.

Mikaela moves to the stove and begins methodically placing a pot on top with the ingredients for hot chocolate. It's the least he can do for their final morning together. He slowly stirs the melting chocolate into the milk and sugar as he thinks, wondering what he'll do next.

Krul is right, Yuu has been with him for the past five years, the blink of an eye to a vampire who will live forever, but a significant amount of time for humans. She had told him from the beginning that Yuu could die at any minute and he had come to terms with it, but he didn't think he'd have to voluntarily let Yuu go first.

But he's been selfish long enough, keeping Yuu all to himself when he clearly loves and needs his family, no matter what Yuu says or claims he's okay with. He sucks in a quiet breath, _this is the right thing to do._ Yuu and his family deserve each other in his final days.

"Mika."

He turns and commits Yuu's morning appearance to memory, wild bed head, sleep laden eyes, and a lazy smile. "Good morning, Yuu-chan."

"Morning," he murmurs back, coming to over to hug him from behind and rest a head on his shoulder. Yuu places a sleepy kiss to his cheek and sniffs the air. "Smells good."

"Mmm."

Yuu releases him after a final squeeze and collapses at the table, flipping on the TV to watch while he waits.

Mikaela takes in his peaceful appearance one last time before letting out a quiet sigh and carefully pouring the hot chocolate into a mug to set before him.

"Thanks Mika."

"You're welcome." He steps back and lets Yuu blow on the mug to cool it down before taking the leap. "Yuu-chan, I'm breaking up with you."

He freezes with the mug to his lips, "Excuse me?"

"I'm leaving you," Mikaela repeats.

Yuu's mind races in an attempt to process what Mikaela is saying to him. They've made so much progress in the past five years, they're _happy. What the hell is Mika talking about?!_ There's _no way_ he's letting Mikaela take what he worked so hard for. He's _earned_ him. After all the effort he put into making Mikaela _his_? Absolutely not. From the forest to the first time he pushed him down and took him to now, not to mention the mark on his hip. Mikaela is his in every way.

He swallows down a mouthful of hot chocolate without looking away from the TV, "You're not going anywhere."

"I am. I'm not staying here anymore, you can. I don't mind."

"Mika, if you even try to walk out that door, I'll jump on you, you know I will."

"That's not fair! You're going to leave me anyway!"

" _Why would I do that?!"_

"Because you'll _die._ "

 _Oh. Oh…_ Yuu sighs, _I guess it's time._ "Let's talk."

Mikaela quickly shakes his head, "I've already made up my mind."

"Mikaela…" Yuu begins, voice heavy with warning and threat.

His eyes widen slightly and he takes a step backward. Instantly, Yuu flies up from his seat, knocking the chair backwards and fixing a glare on the other boy. The hot flash of rage surged up faster than he could contain and unintentionally his horns pop out. Yuu could see the exact second Mikaela realized he had no idea what was happening when his face went slack with slowly dawning horror.

Mikaela stood there, incapable of movement as his eyes roamed over Yuu like he'd never seen him before. Yuu had horns, _horns!_ Where did those come from? His brilliant emerald eyes, narrowed with anger, were the color of fresh blood and the unfamiliar markings decorating the side of his face from his eye to the tense line of his mouth set off alarms in his mind.

"What the hell? W-What are you?" Mika draws back further when Yuu opens his mouth to respond and he catches sight of fangs.

"Mika, wait. It's not what you think."

"I don't know what to think!" Yuu reaches for him and he jerks back, instinctively racing for the door to safety. Ignoring the sound of Yuu calling his name, he's turning the doorknob when hands yanks him back by the arms and Yuu positions himself in front of the door. "Don't touch me!" He yells, lashing out and ripping away from Yuu's grip.

"Mika, calm down! Let me explain!" He shoves Yuu backwards into the door and turns the opposite way, intent on reaching the window. Whichever way gets him out of the apartment faster. A frustrated grunt is his only warning before Yuu slams into him with more strength than he's ever used before and they hit the ground, Yuu pinning him to the ground between the wall and his body.

And now he understands that either Yuu was even stronger than he thought or the rage has given him a boost, but Yuu has definitely been hiding a lot from him. This has to be more than a simple disease, no disease could give him this inhuman strength or _fangs._ "Let me go!"

"Only if you let me explain!"

" _Explain why you have horns?!"_

"Yes!"

"Okay, let me up and I'll listen."

"Not a chance," Yuu scoffs. "You'll run off."

"I won't!"

Yuu drops his weight into Mikaela's lap, "You can listen from right there."

"Yuu-chan," he cajoles, "Just let me up a little? You're hurting my wrists…"

Ignoring him, Yuu takes a deep inhale then lets the anger drift away with his exhale. "I'm a demon."

"...What?"

"I'm a demon."

" _What?"_

"Are you even listening to me? I'm. A. Demon. Fangs, strength, super healing, all of that."

"But...I didn't even know demons existed…"

"Neither did I until I turned into one."

Mikaela looks at him suspiciously, "Krul said you had an incurable disease that made you super strong, but took a toll on your body and that you could drop dead at any minute."

"Yeaaahhh…." Yuu smiles sheepishly, "That was a lie Krul came up with him. She knew I was a demon from the beginning, but she kept it a secret until I decided to tell you."

" _Five years, Yuu-chan!"_

"She and my family had both been pressuring me to tell you for a while now."

" _Everyone knew,_ but _me_?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Mika."

"I can't believe you, I trusted you."

"Mika, I didn't want you to hate me."

"Why would I hate _you_?"

"...Because I wasn't human."

"I'm not human _either_ , Yuu-chan!"

"I know…"

"And everyone knew…"

Yuu sighs, he might as well come clean all the way now. "Krul kicked me out...after she found out about the vampires I killed."

"What?"

"That's why I was so insistent on you leaving with me five years ago because she told me I had to get out whether you were coming with me or not."

"You killed _three_ vampires," Mika repeats faintly.

"And Krul was not happy."

Mika's eyes suddenly sharpen and his gaze fixes on Yuu, "The vampires that were hacked into pieces with their hearts ripped out?"

"That was me."

"Get off me."

"Mika wait, I wouldn't ever do that to you."

"Get off me, Yuu."

He hesitates briefly before letting of Mikaela's wrists and standing up, "Please don't leave me, Mikaela." _I couldn't take it._

Mikaela moves to the couch without responding, upset at how easily he believed Krul's lie for so long, never letting himself think too hard about anything related to Yuu's 'disease.' Granted, he never realized there were demons, so he wouldn't have come to that conclusion, but he was blinded by Yuu's companionship and his trust in Krul that he dismissed anything too abnormal.

He doesn't have a single clue about what being a demon entails or what it means for them, he's walking blind here.

"Mika," Yuu crouches in front of him and cups his face, "Please say something to me."

"How?"

"How what?"

"How are you a demon?"

"Um...well...from what Guren told me, there was a sect of people researching the most effective way to fight vampires and depending on how a vampire dies they may turn into a demon. Their spirit or energy can then be harnessed and used as a weapon. Then someone had the bright idea that maybe it would be easier to just create superhumans to fight the vampires since vampires are weak to the cursed energy of demons or something. That's why the mark on your hip never healed."

 _That makes sense…_ "Superhumans?"

"Yeah, I was an abandoned child found on the street who no one would miss. They took me and several other kids in and injected us directly with this cursed energy, some took it well and some didn't."

"And you took it well."

"I did. It was there, but my body managed to subdue it for the most part. When I was seventeen is when it got stronger and took over, making me more demon than human."

"Right."

"I'm still me, though!" Yuu is quick to reassure him.

"How many of you are there?"

"I'm not sure, but not many. Gathering a lot of demon energy meant killing a lot of vampires. From what Guren said, the vampires caught on and razed the place to the ground, killing everyone and destroying everything."

"How did you survive?"

"I was with Shinya and Guren at the time."

"Huh?"

"I was a successful experiment, but being locked inside and tested all the time was slowly killing me, they thought. Shinya's adopted family had a hand in the company and one of his relatives called him and demanded he take a 'demon kid' for a while. Shinya had no involvement, so no one would be suspicious and since he was family, he couldn't refuse."

"Then how did you end up with Guren?"

"Shinya...wasn't really much of a kid person plus he had a mischievous streak, so he dumped me with Guren and disappeared. I don't remember much, just that Guren was pissed. About two months later, Shinya came back to return me, but before he could everyone was killed, so they were stuck with me. Shinya still didn't want the responsibility and I had already been living with Guren, so he ended up keeping me, but not without nearly strangling Shinya."

"And he didn't mind keeping a demon child?"

"Shinya didn't tell him anything until I was 15 and apparently starting showing some weird symptoms. Long story short, he was angry, crashed Shinya's sports car, and they dealt with everything."

Mikaela nods slowly, absorbing everything Yuu is telling him, but one thing is still missing. "How did _you_ find out?"

Yuu's expression tightens and his eyes become guarded, "That's...a different story."

"Tell me."

Yuu sighs and studies a spot on the carpet. "I had been feeling restless the past few days, random surges of rage here and there, Guren wanted me to stay home until I felt better, but I didn't listen. There was a woman and a kid bumped into her accidentally, he was harmless, but she dropped her drink, so she went off on the kid, screaming, yelling, and hurling various insults. And as I stood there watching her, I just got angrier and angrier, listening to her yell about _nothing_ to this kid, then when I came to, she was dead in the alley. Blood on the ground, on me." He squeezes his eyes shut, "Geezus Mika, some of her had even been ripped apart. That's why I said, I have no right to call anyone a monster."

"Oh Yuu-chan…"

"Don't feel bad for me, Mika. I was the calmest I'd been in a while after I did it...I don't even feel remorse about it anymore. Anyway, shortly after that I ended up in the forest where I met you."

Mikaela nods, still taking everything in. Yuu's a violent demon, but he's done well hiding it so far, considering the five years they've been together. Only killing _three_ vampires isn't _too_ bad. Yuu seems mostly under control and his love hadn't been fake, right?

"Have you killed anyone else since?"

"No!" Yuu shakes his head vehemently, "I haven't killed anyone since those three! I keep it under control by...other means."

Crimson eyes gaze at him warily, "What do you do?"

"Sex."

"..."

"Sex with you burns a lot of energy and keeps me calm. When I killed those other vampires...you were denying me and I was too frustrated to fight it."

"So a need, not just a want," he murmurs. No wonder Yuu is on him almost daily and...it puts into perspective a few other peculiar aspects of every time they're intimate together. "And you're sure you can keep things under control?"

"Of course!" Emerald eyes look at him earnestly, "I would never hurt you! I'm sorry I never told you, but I was afraid that you'd leave me when you found out."

"Yuu-chan, I'm a vampire, I don't have the right to judge."

"Yeah, but you hate being a vampire, so why would you accept another monster?"

"You're not a monster."

"I seem to recall saying something similar to you."

"There was a lot going on at the time.."

"And I like to think you're happier now because of me."

A small smile tugs the corner of his mouth, "Despite your lying ways, you may be a little right."

Yuu grins, before looking at him seriously, "Mika."

"Hmm?"

"Demons are immortal, just like vampires."

Mikaela stares at him briefly and his arms are encircling Yuu's neck so fast Yuu has to brace himself to keep from falling backwards. Mikaela squeezes tight, snuggling into Yuu's warmth, breathing in his scent, and not even bothering to hold his tears in. He's so _happy_ because if Yuu is immortal, that means one thing for them... _eternity._ Even if he can't fully accept what Yuu's kept from him right now, he has _time._

Yuu blinks in startled surprise, then nods in satisfaction as he pulls Mikaela in closer. He breathes out a deep exhale and lets his eyes drift shut, basking in the certainty that Mikaela won't leave him. And as the blonde's body weight settles firmly around him, he's content that they'll have a love that will last forever.

 _ **Five Centuries Later...**_

Yuu sits on the edge, staring down at the ruins of the world. It doesn't all look like this, but there are very few safe spaces left. After all, the more advanced technology becomes, the greater the destruction. Everyone he's known is long gone, new and old. They started dying one by one, but Mikaela has and will always be his one constant.

There was a short time that they fought and separated, two years if he recalls correctly. It made him remember the fragility of human life when he was back amongst the human population that for the most part he and Mikaela kept away from. It was a dark time for him and everyone else he came across. With Mikaela gone, there was only one outlet for his emotions. He didn't keep track of the amount of lives he took, some human and some vampire.

He hated every second of his time alone, but his own stubbornness had kept him away. Mikaela had become part of him, always nearby and within reach. With him gone, it felt like part of him was missing, reaching for the blonde and only feeling empty space.

.

Then when his want finally overcame his stubbornness, Mikaela was nowhere to be found and he had panicked, afraid that now that Mikaela knew love, he'd find someone else to love him. It wouldn't be hard, he was gorgeous, beautiful inside and out. It sent him on a desperate search to reclaim what was his, finally tracking him down in Russia.

The blonde had gone to see about his heritage and get far from memories of Yuu. That had hurt, but he didn't let it deter him. Apologizing immediately and making up for years of lost love making until he was sure Mikaela was fully his again. Until he was covered in his scent and calling his name. He'd pressed into him and devoured every familiar noise as if he were starved. He's almost positive that's the roughest he'd ever been with him, but Mikaela hadn't complained.

His own eyes have long since turned permanently red as have Mikaela' 's no hiding what either of them are now. Not that it matters when there's so few people left to care. For a time, humans and vampires lived out in the open together, attempting to coexist. It didn't last long. A war they stayed out of followed, high casualties on both sides, highest with humans. It was nothing to them, their lives were lived outside the constraints of society and who was in power.

Mikaela's latched onto his neck again, drinking deeply, long sucks pulling the blood from his veins. Yuu leans back against the rock face, so Mikaela can scoot closer to him and adjust for better access. He's become much more comfortable with himself and enjoys drinking. In fact, he drinks almost every night now, it's a good thing he replenishes quickly. He doesn't mind, so long as Mika is with him and not trying to starve himself. Sometimes he drinks normally and sometimes it's just small sips to make sure Yuu's still there and accepting.

Although why he worries about that while knowing he's a demon is beyond him. He supposes old habits die hard, but Mikaela doesn't have to worry. He's not going anywhere, ever again. This destructive world and themselves together is their future until the very end.

* * *

So I finally finished this one and gave it the happy ending I wish Mika and Yuu would have in canon. If you liked it, please tell me what you thought and thanks for reading!


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